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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Today North Macedonia votes in the first round of local elections. Voting opened at 07:00 and will close at 19:00.
Citizens will head to the ballot boxes to elect the mayors of 81 municipalities and members of municipal councils, including the city of Skopje.
The electoral process is taking place in 3,474 polling stations across the country, with 1,832,415 citizens registered to vote. 22 political parties, 19 coalitions and 119 independent citizens' groups are participating in the elections, including a total of 309 candidates for mayor and 576 lists for council members.
Skopje has the highest number of mayoral candidates, with a total of 16 candidates running for the capital. The elections are being monitored by 1,451 observers, of which 807 are local and 644 are international.
According to polls, the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party is the favorite to win the majority of municipalities. Meanwhile, the Macedonian opposition, the Social Democratic League (LSDM), is still dealing with the consequences of the internal crisis after its heavy defeat in the parliamentary elections in May 2024.
A close race is also expected in municipalities with an Albanian majority. In about 15 municipalities, Albanians make up the majority of the population, and the fiercest battle is taking place between the Albanian government coalition VALEN and the opposition united in the National Alliance for Integration, led by DUI.
The voting process is expected to close at 19:00, while electoral authorities and international observers are committed to ensuring an orderly, peaceful and democratic process.
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