Northern Macedonia officially launches the 20th day campaign for the October 19 local elections.
This year’s process will be the eighth since the declaration of independence of the Balkan state and the fourth in which the mayors and the list of councilors in 80 municipalities and the city of Skopje are elected.
In this year’s local elections there are a total of 309 candidates for mayor and 576 candidates for municipal councils with 10,490 candidates.
Speaker Afrim Gashi called on all political entities in the country, competing in this election, to campaign honest and adhere to democratic principles.
The State Election Commission, concluding the list of voters, announced that the votes are over 1.8 million inhabitants, 112,000 of them currently live abroad, over 2,100 voters serve prison sentences or are in custody, and 450 live in the asylum of the elderly.
On October 19, 3,480 polling stations will be opened in Northern Macedonia. According to the Electoral Code, local elections are held every four years, in the second half of October.
Local government is organized in 80 municipalities and in the city of Skopje as a separate unit of local government. Within the capital there are 10 municipalities, which have common powers with it.
The second round of local elections in Northern Macedonia is projected to take place on November 2.
Journalist: Vjollca Zharri
