Voting in a run-off contest for a new president in North Macedonia began on Sunday, in an election dominated by divisions over a change in the country's name to mollify neighbouring Greece and open the way for Nato and EU membership.
For decades, Greece demanded that the tiny ex-Yugoslav republic change its name from Macedonia, arguing that this implied a territorial claim on a northern Greek province also called Macedonia. The new name was formally ratified earlier this year.
But the accord continues to divide Macedonians and eclipsed all other issues during campaigning in the presidential election, when about 1.8 million voters will choose between two candidates who got through to the second round.
Zizi Markovic, 74, was the first to vote in Skopje when polling stations opened on Sunday morning.
"I am proud to have been the first voter. I expect that after this election North Macedonia will move faster towards the EU and Nato (membership)," she told Reuters after casting her ballot.
The ruling coalition's candidate, a long-serving public official and academic, Stevo Pendarovski, 56, and his main rival, nationalist candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova were neck-and-neck in the first round two weeks ago.
In the run-off, political analysts give the advantage to Mr Pendarovski, who is expected to win support from supporters of the second largest ethnic-Albanian party whose candidate Blerim Reka came third in the first round.
"We are half way to full Nato membership, and in two months we expect a date to begin membership talks with the EU," Mr Pendarovski told supporters at a rally.
"After 10 years Macedonia deserves to have a president who will speed up every positive government policy."
Ms Siljanovska-Davkova, a professor, opposes the name change but is also pro-EU. She accused the government of dragging its feet on economic reforms.
"I expect elections to be peaceful, and a better candidate to win," said pensioner Ljubomir Ilijevski, adding that he voted for Ms Siljanovska-Davkova.
"I could never vote for the one who betrayed our [country's] name," he said, referring to deal with Greece.
The presidency is a largely ceremonial post in North Macedonia but he or she is the supreme commander of the armed forces and also signs off on legislation.
The refusal of outgoing President Gjorge Ivanov, a nationalist, to sign some bills backed by parliament delayed the implementation of key laws, including one on wider use of the Albanian language – 18 years after an ethnic-Albanian uprising that pushed Macedonia to the brink of civil war.
But Mr Ivanov had no authority to block the constitutional amendments passed earlier this year by MPs that paved the way for the name change to North Macedonia.
Low turnout threat
The main concern is that if voter turnout falls below 40 percent in the second round, the election will be declared invalid. In that case, the speaker of parliament would become interim president and new elections would have to be held.
"The ruling coalition voters are disappointed with the pace of reforms, while opposition supporters see that their candidate is not set to win, so many people are likely to stay at home," said Petar Arsovski, an analyst.
Turnout in the first round of voting was 41.6 per cent.
Some opponents of the name change planned to boycott Sunday's vote.
"Vote? Why? Voting means giving legitimacy to the name change. No thanks," said Dejan Temelkovski, 47, a dentist.
"By not choosing a president we are sending a message to all politicians that it is enough."
Polling stations will be open until 7pm local time, with the first preliminary results due two hours later.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Company%20Profile
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
