site.btaVoter Turnout Slightly Above 20% in North Macedonia Local Elections; Polling Proceeds Calmly

Voter turnout in the local elections in the Republic of North Macedonia was slightly above 20%, with polling proceeding calmly, the State Election Commission said on Sunday.

This is a slightly lower turnout compared to the previous local elections held in the country in 2021.

The highest voter turnout was recorded in Chaska Municipality (40.74%), followed by Novaci (36.52%), Vevchani (33.76%), and Krushevo (33.88%). In Skopje, where voters cast ballots for the mayor and city council, as well as mayors and municipal councils in the city’s 10 municipalities, turnout reached 20.07%.

The election day, in which citizens are choosing mayors and municipal councillors in 80 municipalities and the city of Skopje, has proceeded calmly, with no major disruptions to the voting process, the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecution Service said.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, several reports of campaigning during voting were registered in a few locations, but after checks were carried out, the allegations were not confirmed.

Voting in the 3,474 polling stations across North Macedonia began at 7:00 a.m. (8:00 a.m. Bulgarian time) and will continue until 7:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. Bulgarian time). Voting is secret, and biometric identification devices are being used to verify voters’ identities.

The elections involve 22 parties, 19 coalitions, and 119 independent candidates. There are a total of 309 mayoral candidates in the 80 municipalities and Skopje, and 576 lists for municipal councillors, featuring a total of 10,490 candidates.

The local elections on October 19, 2025, are the eighth such elections for local government since the country declared independence.