1. KIRO GLIGOROV (1991 – 1999)

The first President of independent Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, was a politician who remained influential and respected on the Macedonian political scene before and after the independence. Born in Shtip in 1917, Gligorov graduated law at the Belgrade Faculty of Law. During the World War II, President Gligorov participated in the fight against the fascist forces and was Secretary of the Initiative Committee for Convening ASNOM. He held more important political and economic functions in the SFR Yugoslavia and in the Union of Communists of Yugoslavia. After the independence of Macedonia, Gligorov was elected the first President of the country in January 1991. He served two mandates as President of the Republic, until November 1999. After retirement from active political life, President Gligorov was active in the Foundation that bears his name. He is also author of several books, including “Macedonia is everything we have”. Kiro Gligorov died in Skopje on January 1, 2012, at the age of 94.

2. BORIS TRAJKOVSKI (1999 – 2004)

The second President of the independent Republic of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, was born in the village of Monospitovo, Strumica, on June 25, 1956. He graduated at the Faculty of Law in Skopje in 1980, and specialized in business law and labor law. Trajkovski was the leading activist in VMRO-DPMNE’s foreign cooperation program and President of the Pan-European Movement of the Republic of Macedonia. In 1998, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. In December 1999, he was elected as the second President of independent Macedonia. President Boris Trajkovski tragically died along with eight of his associates in a plane crash that took place on February 26, 2004, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Boris Trajkovski was married to Vilma Trajkovska, and has two children.

International Foundation “Boris Trajkovski”:
www.boristrajkovski.org

3. BRANKO CRVENKOVSKI (2004 – 2009)

President Branko Crvenkovski was born on October 12, 1962, in Sarajevo. In his political career, he held the most important functions in the country: President of the State, President of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and President of the Social-Democratic Union of Macedonia, a position he assumed after leaving the post of Head of State. Crvenkovski was elected President of the first party government of Macedonia in September 1992. He served a second term in office as Prime Minister after the 1994 election. After the election defeat in 1998, he led the Macedonian opposition, when, with the electoral success in 2002, he was re-elected as Prime Minister. After the tragic death of President Trajkovski, Branko Crvenkovski ran for President of the state in the 2004 elections. President Crvenkovski is a graduate electrical engineer. He is married to Jasna Crvenkovska and has two children.

4. GJORGE IVANOV (2009 – 2019)

President Gjorge Ivanov was born in Valandovo on May 2, 1960. He finished primary and secondary school in his native town of Valandovo. He graduated from the “Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje. He received his MA in political science in 1994, and in 1998 he received his PhD at the Faculty of Law in Skopje. In 1995, he began his academic career at the Faculty of Law, where in 2002 he was elected associate professor, and in 2008 a full-time professor. In 2009, he was elected President of the Republic of Macedonia. In 2014, for the second time, he was elected President of the Republic of Macedonia.

Official website of former President Gjorge Ivanov: https://gjorgeivanov.mk/

5. STEVO PENDAROVSKI (2019 – 2024)

President Stevo Pendarovski was born on 3 April 1963 in Skopje. He graduated in 1987 at the Faculty of Law in Skopje, and received his MA and Ph.D. degree at the Institute for Sociological and Political-Legal Research at the “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University. Pendarovski was a Professor at the University American College Skopje, where he taught several courses in the field of international politics and security. In the period 1998-2001, he was the Head of the Directorate for Analytics and Research in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Spokesman of the Ministry. On two occasions, he served as an advisor to the presidents of the Republic of Macedonia, 2001-2004 – National Security Advisor and 2005-2009 – Foreign Policy Advisor. Pendarovski was also President of the SEC, as well as a Member of Parliament from 2016 to 2017. In the period December 2017 – May 2019, he was National Coordinator for preparation of the country for joining NATO. He is married to Elizabeta Gjorgievska and they have a son, Ognen.