Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev claimed shortly after polls closed that the conservative government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski had unfairly used state resources to influence the campaign for his own re-election and that of his political ally, President Gjorge Ivanov.
Gruevski called the general election a year early and his VMRO-DPMNE party was leading in opinion polls by a wide margin, while Ivanov was also the front-runner in today's second round of presidential voting.
It wasn't immediately clear what practical effect Zaev's statement would have in the politically volatile country. Early returns from both polls are expected tomorrow.