North Macedonia's pro-Western candidate, Stevo Pendarovski, won a run-off presidential vote after a campaign dominated by divisions over a change to the country's name that was agreed to mollify Greece and open the way for EU and NATO membership.
Voters will elect a new president in a run-off vote dominated by deep divisions over a change in the country's name agreed with Greece that has opened the path to NATO and EU membership.
According to the latest results, the ruling Social Democrat party's favoured candidate Stevo Pendarovski got 42.85 percent of the votes while his right-wing rival Gordana Siljanovska Davkova 42.24 percent.
The race for the largely ceremonial presidential race has turned into a second referendum on whether the Balkan country should be called Macedonia or North Macedonia.
The Republic of North Macedonia is facing a constitutional crisis over the country's name change as the outgoing president Gjorge Ivanov says he will not sign documents bearing the name of North Macedonia.
The country's health minister says seven people were pronounced dead at the scene and the rest died after being taken to a hospital. He added that 30 people were also injured including six in critical condition.
Since 1991, Athens had objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because Greece has a historic northern province of the same name. Greece has blocked Macedonia's NATO and EU integration until it changes the name.
A government press release says that as of Tuesday, Macedonia is officially called the Republic of North Macedonia.
Macedonia has made great strides to meet Greek concerns over its name, for Greece this isn't enough with the agreement now threatening to bring down the Tsipras government.
Macedonia's parliament approved a constitutional revision to change the country's name 10 days ago. But for the deal between the two leaders to go through, the name change also needs to be approved by the Greek parliament.
Panos Kammenos, whose Independent Greeks party props up the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, has long opposed the accord with neighbouring Macedonia signed by their governments last year.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer says that Macedonia could become the 30th member of NATO "as early as in 18 months from now."
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