Crvenkovski won by a clear margin

Officials say that with 99% of the ballots counted, he won 63%, and that turnout passed the required 50%.

The early poll was held after the country's President Boris Trajkovski was killed in an air crash in February.

The other candidate, Sasko Kedev, has demanded a re-vote, alleging what he called "the worst election fraud in the history of Macedonia".

"Macedonia has passed another test in democracy today," Mr Crvenkovski told his jubilant supporters after the voting ended.

"There are no winners or losers in Macedonia today. Defeated are those who have called for boycott of the vote," he said.

Mr Kedev, who polled 37% of the vote, appealed to the European Parliament and the US Congress, after what he said was widespread stuffing of ballot boxes with false proxy votes.

Mr Crvenkovski was "not a legitimate president of Macedonia", said Mr Kedev.

Turnout

But the president-elect's spokeswoman earlier dismissed the objections, saying: "It is an excuse for the defeat."

POLL RESULTS (99% of vote counted) Branko Crvenkovski - 62.66% Sasko Kedev - 37.34% Turnout - 53.39%

Prior to the announcement of the result, independent election observers said it was "too early to say" whether there were any irregularities.

Both candidates had vowed to work towards entry to the EU.

The liberal Mr Crvenkovski, 41, also says he will cement peace after an ethnic Albanian guerrilla insurgency brought Macedonia close to civil war three years ago.

Mr Kedev, a 42-year-old heart surgeon, had promised to fight widespread corruption and poverty.

Many of the country's Albanians reportedly boycotted the poll, as their two candidates were eliminated in the first round.

Ethnic Albanians say they remain neglected in Macedonia.

And the economy is in a desperate state - with 40% unemployment and incomes among the lowest in Europe.