Gligorov, Kiro [key], 1917–2012, North Macedonian political leader, grad. Univ. of Belgrade Law School (1938). He fought with Yugoslavia's communist partisans during World War II and later held a number of offices in the Yugoslav government. In Jan., 1991, he became president of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) while it was still a Yugoslav republic and led it through the referendum that established Macedonia as an independent nation; it was the only Yugoslav republic to secede peacefully. Gligorov was president of Macedonia through two terms, serving until Nov., 1999. He was severely injured in an assassination attempt in 1995.
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