From midnight the pre-election silence begins, where all election and party propaganda is prohibited until tomorrow at 19:00. A total of 1,814,644 voters will have the opportunity tomorrow from 7:00 to 19:00 to cast their vote for future mayors and members of the councils of the municipalities in which they live in.
The voting is direct and secret, and for any irregularities, citizens can turn to the State Election Commission, the non-governmental organization “Most”, as well as the Helsinki Committee of the Republic of Macedonia on the previously published contact data.
Each citizen will be identified by a personal document – an identity card or passport, they will be checked by a UV lamp, to see if the individual has previously voted and then will be sprayed with UV-spray on the palm, after which voters will receive a ticket whose number is not allowed to be recorded anywhere by the Electoral Board. Then voters will circle only one name of the candidate or the list of councilors, to voice their vote.
The elections will be held at 3,480 polling stations in 80 municipalities and in Skopje. In the sixth local elections in an independent Macedonia, candidates for mayors and councilors are participating from 19 parties and coalitions, and 64 are from groups of voters. The sick and frail, prisoners and persons in custody will vote today.
The second round of elections is scheduled for two weeks later, on October 29th. Then only the two best placed candidates for mayors from the first round will be on the ballot in which the requirement for a clear victory in the first round is not reached.
The election will be attended by 5,011 domestic and 373 foreign observers. According to the data published on the SEC website, from the domestic side, the most accredited observers are from the non-governmental organization “Most” – 2,843.
Of the foreign side, most observers are from the OSCE / ODIHR Mission – 198, then the US Embassy in Macedonia – 33, the EU Delegation – 23, and the International Center for Elections (IESC), with 18 observers.
