Elections in North Macedonia put EU and ties with Greece, Bulgaria in the spotlight

Voters in North Macedonia went to the polls on Wednesday for the first round of presidential elections in a vote widely seen as a litmus test for upcoming parliamentary elections. There are some concerns the election outcome could affect North Macedonia’s relations with Greece and Bulgaria - given references to the Prespa Agreement and constitutional changes Sofia is calling for - and further complicate its EU accession process. Nektaria Stamouli, the deputy editor in chief of Kathimerini’s English Edition and Politico’s Eastern Mediterranean correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis to look at Wednesday’s election and its broader implications for the country’s relations with its neighbors and its EU aspirations.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:North Macedonia polls to test EU driveFirst round of North Macedonia’s presidential polls shows big shift towards center-right oppositionAmalthea corridor ‘awaiting Gaza pier’Greece rules out air defence systems to Ukraine, prime minister says