Skopje, 29 October 2021 (MIA) – The second round second round of voting for the 2021 local elections will be held on Sunday, October 31, in 44 municipalities across North Macedonia. A total of 1,353,990 citizens have the right to cast their ballot in 2,481 polling stations nationwide. By order of the Constitutional Court, the first round of voting for mayor and council members will be repeated in one polling place in Debar, as well as in a polling station in Shuto Orizari, where citizens will once again have to elect municipal councilors. Residents of Mavrovo-Rostushe and Centar Zhupa won’t be voting in Sunday’s runoff. These two municipalities will redo the first round, in line with the Law on Local Self-Government, due to a failure to meet the prerequisite turnout of one third of registered voters. Council members in these municipalities were elected October 17. Voting of the sick and frail, persons infected with COVID-19 and in isolation, inmates, detainees, people in retirement homes and internally displaced persons will take place day before Election Day, i.e. October 30. North Macedonia is introducing biometric fingerprint identification of voters in these local elections for the first time ever. General COVID-19 protection measures will also be in force on Election Day. The voting will take place in 44 municipalities nationwide. In the first round, candidates for mayors from VMRO-DPMNE’s coalition won in 21 municipalities, while those from SDSM’s coalition in nine and DUI in two municipalities.