Gjorge Ivanov
Ѓорге Иванов
Ivanov in 2014
4th President of North Macedonia
In office
12 May 2009 – 12 May 2019
Prime MinisterNikola Gruevski
Emil Dimitriev
Zoran Zaev
Preceded byBranko Crvenkovski
Succeeded byStevo Pendarovski
Personal details
Born (1960-05-02) 2 May 1960
Valandovo, PR Macedonia, FPR Yugoslavia
Political partyVMRO-DPMNE
SpouseMaja Ivanova
EducationSs. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
Signature

Gjorge Ivanov (Macedonian: Ѓорге Иванов, pronounced ['ɟɔrɡɛ 'ivanɔf]; born 2 May 1960) is a Macedonian politician, who served as the 4th President of North Macedonia from 2009 to 2019.

Early and personal life

Born in Valandovo, Ivanov finished primary and secondary school in his hometown. He lived there until the age of 27, then moved to Skopje, which has since been his permanent residence.[1]

Ivanov is married to Maja Ivanova. Together they have a son named Ivan.[2]

Political and civil society activism

Ivanov has been politically active since the Yugoslav era, when he pushed for political pluralism and market economy. Until 1990 he was an activist in the League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia and a member of the last presidency of the organisation,[1] where he worked on reforming the political system and promoting political plurality and free market economy.[3]

Ivanov is considered a leading expert on civil society, specialising in political management.[4] He is the founder and honorary president of the Macedonian Political Science Association and one of the founding members of the Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis, a leading analytical centre in North Macedonia.[4]

Academic career

His professional career began in 1988, when he became an editor at the Macedonian Radio and Television, the national broadcasting station. He later taught political theory and political philosophy at the Law Faculty of the University of Skopje. In 1999, he became a visiting professor for the Southeast European programme at the University of Athens in Greece.[4]

A series of academic appointments followed, including at universities in Bologna and Sarajevo. Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje named him associate professor in 1992 and a full-time professor in 2008. In the same year, he became president of the Council for Accreditation in Higher Education in Macedonia.[4]

Published works

  • Цивилно општество (Civil Society)
  • Демократијата во поделените општества: македонскиот модел (Democracy in divided societes: the Macedonian Model)
  • Современи политички теории (Current political theories)
  • Политички теории - Антика (Political theories - Antiquity)[1]

President of the Republic of Macedonia

Campaign and election

On 25 January 2009, the strongest party in the Macedonian parliament, VMRO-DPMNE, appointed Ivanov as the party's presidential candidate for the 2009 Macedonian presidential election. 1,016 party delegates voted for his candidacy at the party's convention.[5] Although he was proposed as a candidate by VMRO-DPMNE, he is not a member of the party.[3]

During his campaign, Ivanov announced that if he is going to be elected president, he would "insist on a meeting between the President of the Republic of Macedonia and the President of the Republic of Greece" and that one of his highest priorities is the resolution of the country's long-running name dispute with Greece.[6][7]

In the first round of the 2009 Macedonian presidential election 343,374 (35.06%) citizens of The Republic Of Macedonia voted for Ivanov, the second being the candidate of the Social Democrats, Ljubomir Frčkoski, with 20.45% of the votes.[8]

Ivanov won the second round of the presidential election with 453,616 votes; opposition candidate Ljubomir Frčkoski got 264,828 votes.[9]

One day after his election, Ivanov reaffirmed his intention for a meeting to be realised between him and the president of Greece, Karolos Papoulias. He added that he will officialise his invitation just after taking office.[10] After a meeting with the president of the Democratic Union for Integration, Ali Ahmeti, Ivanov announced that he will also include ethnic Albanian intellectuals in his future presidential cabinet.[11]

On 16 April, Ivanov on a ceremony received the presidential certificate from the State Election Commission.[12]

Inauguration

Ivanov took office on 12 May 2009, thereby succeeding Branko Crvenkovski. After taking the oath he held his inauguration speech in the Macedonian parliament and made public his priorities - EU and NATO membership, economic recovery, inner stability, interethnic relations and good relations with the neighbouring countries, especially with Greece.[13]

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Crvenkovski, prime minister Nikola Gruevski, the first president of independent Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov, military officials, leaders of the religious communities in Macedonia and foreign ambassadors in the county.

Also, four foreign statesmen were present — the president of Serbia Boris Tadić, the president of Montenegro Filip Vujanović, the president of Croatia Stjepan Mesić and the president of Albania Bamir Topi.[14] Later that day Ivanov held bilateral talks with the four presidents.[15]

The second inauguration of President Ivanov was held on 12 May 2014 in the Macedonian parliament The swearing-in ceremony was attended the prime minister Nikola Gruevski, military officials, leaders of the religious communities in Macedonia and foreign ambassadors in the county. The inauguration was boycotted by the Democratic Union for Integration the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia and the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia the largest opposition party in Macedonia.[16]

First term

On the day Ivanov officially became president of his country, he sent a letter to the president of the United States Barack Obama in which he underlined The Republic Of Macedonia's aim to join NATO and EU and to find a "mutually acceptable solution" to the "name difference" with neighbouring Greece. He also thanked Obama for his words of support at the 2009 NATO Summit.[17]

One day after the inauguration, Ivanov together with Prime Minister Gruevski travelled to Brussels to meet with European Union and NATO officials.[18][19]

Ivanov claims to promote a Macedonian model of a multi-ethnic society and Pax Europaea, a united Europe living in peace and respecting the diversity and identity of the nations of Europe.[20][21]

Second term

Ivanov with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, 10 March 2016
Ivanov with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, 24 May 2017

Ivanov was re-elected as President of the Republic of Macedonia for a second term in April 2014.

In March 2016 Ivanov stated that the European Union had failed the Republic of Macedonia and other Balkan countries in the European migrant crisis.[22]

On 12 April 2016 Ivanov halted judicial inquiries into officials involved in a wiretap scandal. Ivanov stated to have done so in the best interest of the country, and to end the political crisis. A move that the opposition called Ivanov's coup d'état and an effective disagreement to cooperate and find a common ground solution to the problem.[23][24] His own party, the VMRO-DPMNE did not agree with his action. Opposition media called it a political manoeuvre to prevent further judicial inquiry by the special prosecutor Katica Janeva, proposed by the international community to normalise the political situation. Opposition leader Zoran Zaev subsequently called for protests.[23] A demonstration occurred in Skopje on 13 April, with the presidential offices being attacked by rioters and several people detained.

Awards and honours

Honours

Awards

  • 2011-Recognition for leadership in reducing disaster risk from the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of the United Nations[26]
  • 2012- Peace and Sport' award from Peace and Sport International Forum[30]
  • 2014- The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) Freedom Award[31]
  • 2014- Prix de la Fondation from Crans Montana Forum[32]
  • 2016- Isa Beg Ishaković international award from Isa Beg Ishaković Foundation[33]
  • 2017- Flame of peace award from the Association for the Furtherance of Peace[34]
  • 2017 - Patriarch Alexey II of Moscow Award from International Public Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations [35]

Professor/doctor honoris causa

University Title Year of awarding
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Honorary Doctor 2016[36]
Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University Honorary Doctor[37] 2015
Moscow State University Honorary Professor 2014
Southwest University Honorary Professor 2013
Istanbul University Honorary Doctor 2011
TOBB University of Economics and Technology Honorary Doctor 2011
Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University Honorary Doctor 2011

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) (in Macedonian)
  2. ↑ "Претседател на Република Македонија - Прва дама г-ѓа Иванова". Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  3. 1 2 Biography Archived 2009-05-16 at the Wayback Machine Official website of the President of the Republic of Macedonia
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Gjorge Ivanov - President of Macedonia". Southeast European Times. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "My Info Agent". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) (in Macedonian)
  7. ↑ "The Advertiser - Latest Adelaide and South Australia News - The Advertiser". www.news.com.au.
  8. ↑ (in Macedonian)
  9. ↑ (in Macedonian)
  10. ↑ "Иванов во мај ќе го покани Папуљас". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2009. (in Macedonian)
  11. ↑ "Вест". Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2009. (in Macedonian)
  12. ↑ "Gjorge Ivanov receives presidential certificate - Makfax.com.mk". Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ "My Info Agent". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Инаугурација на Иванов, ДУИ и СДСМ отсутни". Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  17. ↑ "My Info Agent". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "My Info Agent". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Vice PM Pesevski meets Spanish ambassador". 30 April 2012.
  20. ↑ "Parliamentary Assembly Session: 21 to 25 June 2010 - Address by Gjorge Ivanov".
  21. ↑ During the Syrian refugee crisis of 2014-2016, however, he has been an outspoken advocate of anti-Muslim hysteria and bigotry. Ivanov: EU without Balkans, Macedonia like unfinished story
  22. ↑ Nik Martin (11 March 2016). "Germany, EU have failed us, Macedonian president says". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  23. 1 2 "Macedonia President Pardons Politicians Facing Charges". Balkan Insight. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  24. ↑ Kole Casule (12 April 2016). "Macedonian president halts wiretap inquiry, opposition brands move a 'coup'". Reuters. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  25. ↑ "Претседателот Иванов одликуван со орден од Европското движење на Босна и Херцеговина". Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  26. 1 2 "ПРИЗНАНИЈА". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  27. ↑ "Претседателот Иванов во посета на општина Пустец". Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "† Осветени конаците Горни и Источен Палат - Бигорски Манастир". Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  29. ↑ "Медал од Путин за Мирка Велиновска".
  30. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. ↑ "Иванов добитник на Наградата на слободата во Прага - vesti.mk".
  32. ↑ "Награда за претседателот Иванов на Форумот Кран Монтана - vesti.mk".
  33. ↑ "Сараево: Иванов добитник на меѓународната награда Иса бег-Исхаковиќ". Агенција Анадолија.
  34. ↑ "ПРИЗНАНИЈА". president.mk.
  35. ↑ "Macedonia President Greeted Warmly in Moscow". 24 May 2017.
  36. ↑ "Софија ќе го закити Иванов со титула "почесен доктор" - vesti.mk".
  37. ↑ "Претседателот Иванов прогласен за почесен доктор на науки на Академијата за јавна администрација на Азербејџан". president.mk.
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