Gjorge Ivanov

Stevo Pendarovski has been sworn in as the new president of North Macedonia, promising he will serve all citizens in a deeply politically divided society and will lobby European Union leaders to approve the start of his country's accession talks in June.

During his first visit to Northern Macedonia, Pope Francis tried to encourage their efforts to integrate into the European institutions after the name change decides the decades-long dispute with Greece, BTA reported.

The elected will be the first head of state after the change of name of our Southwest neighbor, reported NOVA TV. 

The Republic of Northern Macedonia officially launches the election campaign for the upcoming presidential elections.

North Macedonia's lawmakers have passed for a second time a package of bills which the country's president has refused to sign into law in protest at a landmark agreement this year with neighbor Greece.

Election authorities in North Macedonia say three people, including a law professor who is the country's first female candidate, will run for president of the newly renamed country in April 21 elections.

The speaker of Macedonia's parliament on Friday set April 21 as the date for presidential elections, reported Reuters. 

"I'm convinced that all involved in the electoral process will give their contribution so the elections can be conducted in a fair and democratic atmosphere," Talat Xhaferi said after announcing the date.

"The Prespes Deal is unconstitutional, former Defense Minister and Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos claimed in an interview to SKAI TV.

Kammenos, who bolted the government alliance earlier this month over his objections to the deal, added that the agreement coming to Parliament for ratification next week has nothing to do with what was signed, because it has four amendments.

Macedonians on Wednesday reacted to this by taking it to the streets.

Zaev has accepted to remove from the preamble of the Macedonian Constitution the sentence, "citizens living within the borders" - and replace it with mentioning "all ethnic communities."

With a vote on the Prespes name deal between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) expected in Skopje's Parliament this week, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to have an idea on how to move forward by Friday.

The president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Gjorge Ivanov, on Friday urged lawmakers to reject the name agreement with Greece, claiming it will "erase" his country's national identity.

Under the accord, also known as the Prespes agreement, FYROM must amend its constitution and change its name to North Macedonia in return for being allowed to join NATO.