Local elections have officially begun in North Macedonia, with
voters heading to the polls to elect mayors and municipal council
members across the country, Azernews reports.
A total of 3,480 polling stations have been set up to serve the
electorate across 81 municipalities. There are 1,832,415 registered
voters eligible to participate in the elections.
A total of 10,490 candidates are contesting various local
positions, including 309 candidates running for mayoral posts. The
elections are being monitored by 1,451 observers, including 644
international and 807 local monitors.
If no mayoral candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, a
second round of voting will be held on November 2.
Local elections in North Macedonia are held every four years,
and this is the eighth such election since the process began.
Previous local elections took place in 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009,
2013, 2017, and 2021.
These elections play a key role in shaping governance at the
municipal level and are seen as a barometer of public sentiment
ahead of national elections.