Skopje, 31 October 2021 (MIA) – The second round of the October local elections was held in fair and democratic atmosphere, said the ruling party SDSM holding the first news conference after polling stations closed Sunday at 7 pm. SDSM spokeswoman Bogdanka Kuzeska said that the free will of voters won despite attempts made by VMRO-DPMNE to “manipulate the election process.” “The voters today in democratic and free elections voted without pressure in free atmosphere and the will of the majority will be respected,” she said thanking the citizens and the institutions for the successful election day on behalf of SDSM. The spokeswoman announced that her party will be releasing preliminary election results during the night.