Skopje, 22 February 2024 (MIA) - Professor and MP Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has confirmed she will run for president as candidate nominated by VMRO-DPMNE after the party's lawmakers collected the required 30 signatures.

Siljanovska-Davkova's candidacy should be confirmed at the coming VMRO-DPMNE convention, followed by its submission to the State Election Commission.

"The objective reasons why I am running for president relate to the result from the past elections, when I received about 380,000 votes from party members and followers but also citizens. I intend to also collect 10,000 signatures because I should be on equal footing with all others and call for support from those who are not involved in politics or are not affiliated to an ideology or a party," Siljanovska-Davkova told reporters.

According to her, if elected head of state, the candidates for the Constitutional Court, the Judicial Council, the ambassadors nominated by her would be the best in their field.

"You should also not be surprised if you see me leading a protest of marginalized groups, or in Parliament to seek solutions and create public policies," said Siljanovska-Davkova.

She added that citizen offices would be one of her priorities.

"Presidents are often high on the mountain, far away from the people, forgetting the sovereign-the citizens. A wonderful idea of former president Ivanov of so-called citizen offices is not alive. I will not behave like a republican monarch but treat citizens as individuals, because they are the source of my sovereignty," said Siljanovska-Davkova.

She noted the time has come for a female dimension in politics and a time for consensus regardless of partisan, ethnic, religious and other background, while adding that the presidential status required big reforms.

"I believe the time for women has come in Macedonia. I respect diversity but I will be surrounded by women because we have seen that changes are possible when women have held key posts. We cannot move forward unless there is rule of law and radical changes in the value system," underlined Siljanovska-Davkova.

Photo: MIA