Zaev, Zoran, 1976–, Macedonian political leader. An economist, he joined the center-left Social Democratic Union of Macedonia in 1996. Zaev was a member of Macedonia's Assembly (2003–5), then mayor of Strumica (2005–16), and later oppposition leader in the Assembly (2013–17). In 2015 he released material relating to wiretapping by Nikola Gruevski's government, which led to new elections late in 2016. In May, 2017, Zaev became prime minister of a coalition government. He generally improved relations with Bulgaria and Greece, agreeing to change the country's official name to North Macedonia (2019) to end a long-standing conflict with Greece that had hindered joining NATO and the European Union. His coalition remained in power after the 2020 elections.
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