North Macedonia has elected its first female president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, on Wednesday.

The victory comes as the incumbent president faced significant losses in both presidential and parliamentary elections.

Ms Siljanovska-Davkova secured nearly 65 per cent of the vote in the presidential runoff, while the incumbent, Stevo Pendarovski, admitted defeat after receiving just over 29% of the vote.

Backed by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, Ms Siljanovska-Davkova stressed the importance of her election as a step forward for women and reform.

“I will stand with women in taking this great step forward, a step towards reform,” she said.

The 70-year old professor has been active in academia, specialising in constitutional law and she’s known for her critical perspectives on constitutional issues in North Macedonia.

The conservative landslide victory also saw VMRO-DPMNE leading in the parliamentary election with nearly 43 per cent of the vote.

The ruling party coalition struggled to maintain second place with 14.8 per cent amid popular discontent over the country’s slow progress towards EU membership and economic stagnation.

Despite the joy and excitement of the victory in the capital city, Skopje, the atmosphere was dampened by a sudden thunderstorm that disrupted the celebrations by causing power outages. However, despite these challenges, the leader of the winning party, Hristijan Mickoski of VMRO-DPMNE, remained determined and unwavering in his commitment to tackle corruption as a top priority in the forthcoming government.

Ms Mickoski expressed commitment to holding individuals accountable for criminal activities and corruption, regardless of their position or influence.

“Every last person who committed a crime and committed corruption will be held accountable,” he said.

Following the conservative landslide victory, discussions will ensue for power sharing to determine control over the 120-seat parliament.

Meanwhile, leader of the Social Democrats and former prime minister until earlier this year, Dimitar Kovachevski, conceded defeat in the parliamentary elections on Wednesday.

He also expressed his decision to step down from his leadership position to be succeeded by a new leader chosen by the party.