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Voting began Sunday in North Macedonia for the second round of local elections in 33 municipalities where no candidate passed the required 50% threshold in the first round.
Polls opened at 7:00 a.m. local time and will close at 19:00, with 1,013,375 registered voters eligible to cast ballots for mayors and municipal council members.
In municipalities where no candidate surpassed 50% in the first round, the two highest-polling candidates are competing in the runoff.
In the capital’s Skopje Metropolitan Municipality, voters are choosing between Orce Gjorgjievski of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization–Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) and Amar Mecinovic of the Levica (Left) party.
Elections in the municipalities of Gostivar, Vrapciste, Mavrovo-Rostuse, and Centar Zupa will be repeated at a later date after voter turnout failed to meet the required minimum in the first round.
A total of 1,598 observers are monitoring Sunday’s vote.
The first round of local elections was held on Oct. 19 to elect 81 mayors and municipal council members.
Mayors were elected in 44 municipalities.
The ruling VMRO-DPMNE won 32 municipalities, followed by its coalition partner, the VLEN alliance, with 5. The Alliance for National Integration (AKI) secured four municipalities, while the opposition alliance led by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) won 3.
This year’s vote marks North Macedonia’s eighth local elections since independence. Previous local elections took place in 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021.
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