We are Macedonians but we are Slav Macedonians. That's who we are! We have no connection to Alexander the Greek and his Macedonia. The ancient Macedonians no longer exist, they had disappeared from history long time ago. Our ancestors came here in the 5th and 6th century (AD).
Toronto Star (March 15, 1992)
Kiro Gligorov born May 3, 1917) was the first democratically elected
President of the Republic of MacedoniaThe President of the Republic of Macedonia is the head of state of the Republic of Macedonia. The institution of the Presidency of the modern Republic of Macedonia began after the Macedonian declaration of independence on 8 September 1991. Its first president was Kiro Gligorov, the oldest president...
. His son
Vladimir GligorovVladimir Gligorov is a prominent economist and was a founder of the Democratic Party in Serbia in December 1989. He is the son of the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov....
is the refounder of the Serbian
Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party is a political party in Serbia. It is described as a social liberal or social democratic party.-Pre-war history:The Democratic Party was established on 16 February 1919 from unification of Sarajevo parties independent radicals, progressives, liberals and the Serbian part of...
.
Biography
Born in
ŠtipŠtip is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the Štip municipality alone had a population of about 47,796...
, Gligorov graduated from the
University of BelgradeThe University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
's
Law SchoolThe University of Belgrade Faculty of Law , also known as the Belgrade Law School, is one of the first-tier educational institutions of the University of Belgrade, Serbia...
and was a participant in the
Anti-fascist struggle of the ethnic Macedonians from 1941. He was a participant in the formation of the state of
Socialist Republic of MacedoniaThe Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
as a secretary of the Initiative committee for the organization of the Antifascist Assembly of the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) and a finance commissioner in the Presidium of ASNOM.
He held various high positions in the political establishment of the
Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, including a secretary of State for finance in the Federal executive Council, a member of the Yugoslav Presidency as well as President of the Assembly of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from May 15, 1974 to May 15, 1978.
Pluralism
After the promotion of parliamentary democracy in the country in 1990, he became the first democratically elected president of the
Socialist Republic of MacedoniaThe Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
on January 27, 1991. On April 16, 1991 the parliament adopted the
constitutional amendmentA constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
for removing the "Socialist" adjective from the official name of the country, and on June 7 the same year, the new name
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
was officially established, hence Gligorov continued his presidency as a
President of the Republic of MacedoniaThe President of the Republic of Macedonia is the head of state of the Republic of Macedonia. The institution of the Presidency of the modern Republic of Macedonia began after the Macedonian declaration of independence on 8 September 1991. Its first president was Kiro Gligorov, the oldest president...
.
President of independent state
He served for two terms, from January 27, 1991 to November 19, 1999. He was re-elected for his second term in office on November 19, 1994. He led his country to independence proclaimed after the referendum held on September 8, 1991 and tried to keep it out of the
Yugoslav warsThe Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, a task made difficult by disputes with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
AlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
who all faced separate issues with the country.
Assassination attempt
On October 3, 1995, Gligorov was the target of a
car bombA car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
assassinationTo carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempt in
SkopjeSkopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
. While on route from his residence to his office, the vehicle carrying Gligorov blew up by an explosion from a parked vehicle, killing his driver and injuring several passers-by. Gligorov was seriously injured above his right eye and was immediately conveyed to the hospital.
There have been no suspects brought to light and no progress made on the case. There have only been short-lived speculations as to the culprits. Briefly, just after the attempt the Minister of Internal Affairs of Republic of Macedonia Ljubomir Frčkovski publicly claimed that "a powerful multinational company from a neighboring country" was behind the assassination attempt of Kiro Gligorov on 3 October 1995, with the Macedonian media pointing at the Bulgarian
MultigroupMultigroup is a business conglomerate in Bulgaria mostly known for its alleged involvement in various scandals and organized crime. Its founder is the Bulgarian businessman Iliya Pavlov, who was its leader until his assassination on March 7, 2003...
and the Yugoslav KOS as possible suspects. During a meeting between Multigroup head
Iliya PavlovIliya Pavlov Naydenov was a Bulgarian businessman. He was the leader and founder of the Multigroup organization, as well as of G-13....
and Gligorov in
OhridOhrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
, Pavlov assured the President of the Republic of Macedonia that his organization was not involved. All investigations were futile.
Gligorov was incapacitated until November 17, 1995. He is permanently blind in one eye as a result.
Stojan AndovStojan Andov is a Macedonian politician.-Early years and education:Born in Kavadarci, Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1935 where he grew up and finished high school, Andov graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Skopje and received a Masters Degree at the University of Belgrade. Heb lived in Belgrade...
was acting president during Gligorov's recuperation.
The election for Gligorov's successor took place only a few days before the end of his term, and because of disputed results the winner,
Boris TrajkovskiTrajkovski died on 26 February 2004 in a plane crash en route to an economic conference in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aircraft crashed in thick fog and heavy rain on a mountainside in southeastern Herzegovina, near the villages of Huskovici and Rotimlja some eight miles south-south-east...
, did not take office until the following month.
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