Macedonia Election Heads for Run-Off

Exit polls showed that Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and Sasko Kedev of the opposition VMRO party had both failed to attract more than 50 percent of the vote, which is required to avoid a runoff. However, both succeeded in defeating the ethnic Albanian candidates Gezim Ostreni and Zudi Xhelili to make the shortlist.

Crvenkovski managed to attract about 43 percent, while Kedev trailed in second place with about 35 percent. Ostreni managed 14 percent while Xhelili struggled to secure just 8 percent of the vote.

Trajkovski's legacy marks election

The voting had been a sombre affair as the people went to the polls to elect the successor to the late President Boris Trajkovski, who died in a plane crash before he could complete his mission of moving the country from ethnic bloodshed to reconciliation. Trajkovski's legacy was also apparent in the manifestos of the candidates.

Each one embraced Trajkovski's commitment to unity and steered clear of exploiting the troubles between the ethnic Albanian minority and the Macedonian majority that led to six months of fighting in 2001.