• Friday, 22 November 2024

Voters in Mavrovo-Rostushe and Centar Zhupa vote for mayor; Tetovo elects municipal councilors 

Voters in Mavrovo-Rostushe and Centar Zhupa vote for mayor; Tetovo elects municipal councilors 
Skopje, 20 August 2022 (MIA) - The municipalities of Mavrovo-Rostushe and Centar Zhupa on Saturday hold repeated mayoral elections after voter turnout was low at the 2021 elections, while Tetovo holds extraordinary elections for councilors after no agreement for majority was reached at the municipal council. A total of 101,174 people are eligible to vote for mayors of Mavrovo-Rostushe and Centar Zhupa and Tetovo municipal councilors at 172 polling stations, said the State Election Commission. In Tetovo, 84,072 voters are registered in the voter's list at 117 polling stations; 9,948 voters are registered for 39 polling stations in Mavrovo and Rostushe; and there are 16 polling stations for 7,145 voters in Centar Zhupa. Only one candidate is running for mayor in Centar Zhupa and two candidates are vying for the mayoral post in Mavrovo-Rostushe. A least a third of the registered voters should cast their votes in order for the mayoral elections to be legitimate. A mayoral candidate will be declared winner if they win majority of votes. For the Tetovo local elections, the ballot contains 13 lists including 403 candidates running for members of the Council of the Municipality, submitted by 11 parties and two groups of voters. After Saturday's elections, Tetovo should get new councilors after those elected at the 2021 local elections stopped functioning in April due to no majority. In May 2022, the government dismissed the Tetovo municipal council making a decision for new extraordinary elections to be organized. 49 observers from one local and one foreign organization are accredited to monitor the elections. On Friday, the sick and frail as well as inmates were allowed to cast their votes in the three municipalities. Biometric identification devices will be used in these elections and there will be no Covid-19 measures in place. Speaking at a news conference, the first of the three scheduled for today, State Election Commission spokeswoman Ljupka Gugutchevska said that voter's turnout by 9 am is 5.52% in the Municipality of Mavrovo-Rostushe; voter's turnout in Centar Zhupa is at 5.69%. After data from 94 ballot stations have been processed in Tetovo, 1,755 voters have so far cast their votes. She said that all polling stations were opened on time and the voting process is underway uninterrupted.