Skopje, 2 May 2024 (MIA) - The Macedonian Television (MTV) said in a press release on Thursday that instead of a debate between the two contenders for head of state, tonight's program will only air an interview with the presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska Davkova as her opponent Stevo Pendarovski had not come to the studio to confront views in a debate on the public broadcasting service.

According to the press release, MTV had sent invitations for a preesidential debate on April 26, 2024, to the offices of the two candidates who entered the second round of the presidential elections, Stevo Pendarovski and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, suggesting May 1 (Wednesday), May 2 (Thursday) and May 6 (Monday) as possible dates for a debate. 

Depending on the election activities of the presidential candidates, adds the press release, the public broadcaster has offered a possibility for a debate to be recorded during the day or aired live in the evening, with the final decision on the date to be made in agreement with the offices of the two presidential candidates.

"Gordana Siljanovska Davkova's team responded the next day, April 27, that they accept May 2 - Thursday as a date for a debate with a possibility of previously recording it in the afternoon. There was no response from Pendarovski's team until yesterday, May 1. The public broadcasting service sent a message to Pendarovski's team to respond about the debate, and the response stated that they could not organize his agenda and would not be able to make it," reads the press release.

In the spirit of professionalism, it adds, the public broadcasting service also offered a possibility of separate interviews for the two candidates, but Pendarovski's team responded that there was neither room for that even though the public broadcasting service in a telephone conversation offered as possibility any of the coming days until the election silence.

"Therefore, the Macedonian Television rejects the information from Pendarovski's Office that Gordana Siljanovska Davkova had arranged a debate on MTV herself," says the press release.