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Gjorge Ivanov

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Gjorge Ivanov
Ѓорге Иванов
Ivanov in 2017
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 (age 64)
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 academic and politician, who served as the President of (North) Macedonia from 2009 to 2019.

Early life and education

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Ivanov was born in Valandovo on 2 May 1960.[1][2] He finished primary and secondary school in his hometown.[3] Ivanov graduated from the Law Faculty of the University of Skopje in 1982, received his master's degree in 1994 and his doctorate in 1998 with the thesis "Democracy in Divided Societies, with Special Review for the Republic of Macedonia".[2]

Political and academic career

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Ivanov has been politically active since the Yugoslav era, when he pushed for political pluralism and market economy.[4] Until 1990, he was an activist in the League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia and a member of the last presidency of the organisation.[3] His political orientation was left-wing.[1][3] Ivanov has been an 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, an analytical centre in North Macedonia.[4]

His professional career began in 1988, when he became an editor at the Macedonian Radio and Television, the national broadcasting station.[4] He later taught political theory and political philosophy at the Law Faculty of the University of Skopje. During this time, he was also a member of Open Society Foundation-Macedonia.[1] In 1999, he became a visiting professor for the Southeast European programme at the University of Athens in Greece.[4]

He was a member of the Board of Directors of the European Postgraduate Studies in Democracy and Human Rights at the University of Bologna in 2000, as well as a coordinator of a course about democracy at the University of Sarajevo.[2] 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] He became an open supporter of VMRO-DPMNE's politics during the 2000s.[3]

President of the Republic of (North) Macedonia

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Campaign and election

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On 25 January 2009, the strongest party in the Macedonian parliament, VMRO-DPMNE, appointed Ivanov as the party's presidential candidate for the 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 was not a member of the party.[6]

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.[7][8] In the first round on 22 March of the 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.[9] Ivanov won the second round of the presidential election on 5 April with 453,616 votes; opposition candidate Ljubomir Frčkoski received 264,828 votes.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12] On 16 April, Ivanov on a ceremony received the presidential certificate from the State Election Commission.[13]

Inauguration

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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.[14] 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 country.[15] 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.[4] Later that day Ivanov held bilateral talks with the four presidents.[16]

First term

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See also: List of state visits made by Gjorge Ivanov

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 claimed 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] On 20 June 2012, he approved a lustration law, regarded as unconstitutional by some human rights groups, and a lawsuit was filed against him in July.[21] In 2013, he expressed support for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the anti-government protests in Turkey, which resulted in some Macedonians criticising him and others supporting him.[22]

Second term

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Ivanov with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, 10 March 2016
Ivanov with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, 24 May 2017
Ivanov with Brazilian President Michel Temer in Brasília, 12 December 2017

His ally, Gruevski, supported his election.[23] Ivanov was re-elected as President of the Republic of Macedonia for a second term on 27 April 2014.[24] The State Election Commission certified his new presidential term on 2 May.[25] The second inauguration of Ivanov was held on 12 May in the Macedonian parliament. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by 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. Foreign dignitaries did not attend too.[26]

In March 2016, Ivanov stated that the European Union and Germany had failed the Republic of Macedonia and other Balkan countries in the European migrant crisis, and claimed that Macedonia did not receive any funding.[27] The German Chancellery rejected his criticism.[28] The Chancellery and the European Commission disputed his claim about the funding.[29]

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.[30][31] EU officials condemned this decision.[32] His own party, VMRO-DPMNE, did not agree with his action.[33] 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.[30] It resulted in the protest movement called Colourful Revolution.[24] Mass protests against his pardons occurred in Skopje on 13 April, when his presidential office in the centre of the city was demolished by protesters and several people were arrested.[34][35] Anti-government rallies also spread in other cities.[24] US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Yee requested that the pardons be annulled on 19 May.[36] On 27 May and 6 June, under domestic and international pressure,[37][38] he annulled his pardons.[24] On 21 June, the parliament declined SDSM's motion to impeach him.[39]

The 2016 parliamentary elections ended in a stalemate. Gruevski failed to form a governmental coalition because he was unable to reach an understanding with Albanian parties.[40] His office in Skopje was renovated and reopened in 2017.[41] In March 2017, he refused to give SDSM a mandate to form a governmental cabinet, violating the constitution.[40] This move was criticised by domestic legal scholars.[42] After Zaev guaranteed the preservation of the unitary character, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Macedonia, Ivanov gave him the mandate on 17 May.[43][44] In 17 January 2018, he vetoed the Law on the Use of Languages, which extends the official usage of the Albanian language in the country.[45] He visited Turkey in February 2018, seeking support from the country in the naming dispute with Greece, while Turkey expected support against Fethullah Gülen's supporters after the 2016 coup attempt.[46] He stated in June that he would not sign a name change deal with Greece, claiming that it gave too many concessions.[47] In September, he called on voters to boycott the country's name change referendum in an address in the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly,[48] referring to it as a "historical suicide."[49] After the country's name was changed to North Macedonia in 2019 as a result of the Prespa agreement, Ivanov refused to sign laws that contained the new name and to rename the name of his office.[50] He was succeeded by Stevo Pendarovski, who won the 2019 presidential election, and attended his inauguration ceremony on 12 May.[51]

Personal life and views

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Ivanov is married to Maja Ivanova. Together they have a son named Ivan.[52] He is an ethnic Macedonian. Ivanov has seen liberal democracy as important.[53] In an interview for the BGNES news agency in 2016, Ivanov said there is no language barrier between his country and Bulgaria and expressed his desire for Bulgaria to be the country's fervent supporter.[54] He has declared himself as an Orthodox Christian.[55]

Published works

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Ivanov authored the following works:[3]

  • 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)

Awards and honours

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Honours

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Awards

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  • 2011 - Recognition for leadership in reducing disaster risk from the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of the United Nations[57]
  • 2012 - Peace and Sport' award from Peace and Sport International Forum[61]
  • 2014 - The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) Freedom Award[62]
  • 2014 - Prix de la Fondation from Crans Montana Forum[63]
  • 2016 - Isa Beg Ishaković international award from Isa Beg Ishaković Foundation[64]
  • 2017 - Flame of peace award from the Association for the Furtherance of Peace[65]
  • 2017 - Patriarch Alexey II of Moscow Award from International Public Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations[55]

Professor/doctor honoris causa

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University Title Year of awarding
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Honorary Doctor 2016[66]
Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University Honorary Doctor[67] 2015
Moscow State University Honorary Professor 2014[68]
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

References

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  1. ^ a b c Dimitar Bechev (2019). Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 153–154. ISBN 9781538119624.
  2. ^ a b c Macedonian Encyclopedia (in Macedonian). MANU. 2009. p. 584.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Од политолог до политичар". Vreme (in Macedonian). Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Gjorge Ivanov - President of Macedonia". Southeast European Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  5. ^ "VMRO-DPMNE elects Gjorgje Ivanov for presidential candidate". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Biography". Official website of the President of the Republic of Macedonia. 16 May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (in Macedonian). Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "The Advertiser - Latest Adelaide and South Australia News - The Advertiser". www.news.com.au. [dead link‍]
  9. ^ [1] (in Macedonian)
  10. ^ [2] (in Macedonian)
  11. ^ "Иванов во мај ќе го покани Папуљас" (in Macedonian). Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Иванов ќе ангажира албански интелектуалци во кабинетот". Вест (in Macedonian). Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  13. ^ "Gjorge Ivanov receives presidential certificate". Makfax.com.mk. Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  14. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ [3][dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Gjorge Ivanov - new President of Republic of Macedonia". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Ivanov to Obama: We are ready to resume dialogue with Greece". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  18. ^ "President Ivanov, PM Gruevski visit Brussels". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  19. ^ "Претседателот Иванов и премиерот Груевски во официјална посета на Брисел" (in Macedonian). 30 April 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Ivanov: EU without Balkans, Macedonia like unfinished story". Idividi. 11 June 2010.
  21. ^ "Activist Sues Macedonian President Over Lustration Law". Balkan Insight. 24 July 2012.
  22. ^ "Macedonians Divided Over President's Support for Erdogan". Balkan Insight. 8 July 2013.
  23. ^ "Macedonian President Shuts Down Wiretapping Probe". Voice of America. 12 April 2016.
  24. ^ a b c d Robert Hudson; Ivan Dodovski, eds. (2023). Macedonia's Long Transition: From Independence to the Prespa Agreement and Beyond. Springer Nature. pp. xviii, xix, 13. ISBN 9783031207730.
  25. ^ "ДИК му го врачи уверението на Иванов". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian). 2 May 2014.
  26. ^ "Macedonian President's Inauguration Marred by Boycott". Balkan Insight. 12 May 2014.
  27. ^ Nik Martin (11 March 2016). "Germany, EU have failed us, Macedonian president says". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  28. ^ Boris Georgievski; Brandon Conradis (11 March 2016). "Tension rises between Germany and Macedonia". Deutsche Welle.
  29. ^ Boris Georgievski (11 March 2016). "И Брисел ги отфрла критиките на Иванов". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian).
  30. ^ a b "Macedonia President Pardons Politicians Facing Charges". Balkan Insight. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  31. ^ Kole Casule (12 April 2016). "Macedonian president halts wiretap inquiry, opposition brands move a 'coup'". Reuters. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  32. ^ "Macedonia president halts wiretapping inquiry". BBC. 12 April 2016.
  33. ^ "Жестоки реакции по одлуката на Иванов за амнестија". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian). 14 April 2016.
  34. ^ "Протести против Иванов на улиците на Скопје". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian). 13 April 2016.
  35. ^ "Macedonian protesters ransack president's office". BBC. 13 April 2016.
  36. ^ "US Urges Macedonia to Scrap President's Pardons". Balkan Insight. 19 May 2016.
  37. ^ "Macedonia's president revokes all wiretap pardons". Deutsche Welle. 6 July 2016.
  38. ^ Daniel Serwer (2018). From War to Peace in the Balkans, the Middle East and Ukraine. Springer International Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 9783030021733.
  39. ^ "Macedonian president escapes impeachment over wiretap scandal". Reuters. 21 June 2016.
  40. ^ a b Dimitar Bechev (2017). Rival Power: Russia's Influence in Southeast Europe. Yale University Press. pp. 80, 82. ISBN 9780300231847.
  41. ^ "Ivanov reopens the office in Skopje but covered with state flags (Photo)". Telegrafi. 2017.
  42. ^ "Macedonia President Accused of Exceeding His Powers". Balkan Insight. 2 March 2017.
  43. ^ Vasiliki P. Neofotistos, ed. (2020). Macedonia and Identity Politics After the Prespa Agreement. Routledge. p. 11. ISBN 9780367808761.
  44. ^ "Zaev Wins Mandate to Form Macedonia's Next Govt". Balkan Insight. 17 May 2017.
  45. ^ "Macedonian President Vetoes Albanian Language Legislation". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 17 January 2018.
  46. ^ "Erdogan Pushes Macedonia to Suppress 'Gulenist Terrorists'". Balkan Insight. 21 February 2018.
  47. ^ "Macedonia's president won't sign name deal". Politico. 13 June 2018.
  48. ^ "Macedonian president urges voters to boycott name referendum". Al Jazeera. 27 September 2018.
  49. ^ "Macedonia's President Calls Name Change 'Historical Suicide'". Voice of America. 27 September 2018.
  50. ^ "President Ivanov Refuses to Use New Macedonia Name". Balkan Insight. 12 March 2019.
  51. ^ "North Macedonia's new president Stevo Pendarovski takes office". Euronews. 12 May 2019.
  52. ^ "Претседател на Република Македонија - Прва дама г-ѓа Иванова". Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  53. ^ P. H. Liotta; Cindy R. Jebb (2004). Mapping Macedonia: Idea and Identity. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 65, 78. ISBN 9780275982478.
  54. ^ "President Gjorge Ivanov Calls on Bulgaria to Embrace Macedonia". Sofia News Agency. 25 March 2016.
  55. ^ a b "Macedonia President Greeted Warmly in Moscow". Balkan Insight. 24 May 2017.
  56. ^ "Претседателот Иванов одликуван со орден од Европското движење на Босна и Херцеговина". Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  57. ^ a b "ПРИЗНАНИЈА". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  58. ^ "Претседателот Иванов во посета на општина Пустец". Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  59. ^ "† Осветени конаците Горни и Источен Палат - Бигорски Манастир". Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  60. ^ "Медал од Путин за Мирка Велиновска".
  61. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  62. ^ "Иванов добитник на Наградата на слободата во Прага - vesti.mk".
  63. ^ "Награда за претседателот Иванов на Форумот Кран Монтана - vesti.mk".
  64. ^ "Сараево: Иванов добитник на меѓународната награда Иса бег-Исхаковиќ". Агенција Анадолија.
  65. ^ "ПРИЗНАНИЈА". president.mk.
  66. ^ "Софија ќе го закити Иванов со титула "почесен доктор" - vesti.mk".
  67. ^ "Претседателот Иванов прогласен за почесен доктор на науки на Академијата за јавна администрација на Азербејџан". president.mk. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  68. ^ "Сите ордени, медали и дипломи на Ѓорге Иванов". Fokus (in Macedonian). 3 June 2016.
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Political offices
Preceded by President of North Macedonia
2009–2019 		Succeeded by
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