Local elections have officially begun in North Macedonia, with voters heading to the polls to elect mayors and municipal council members across the country, Azernews reports.

A total of 3,480 polling stations have been set up to serve the electorate across 81 municipalities. There are 1,832,415 registered voters eligible to participate in the elections.

A total of 10,490 candidates are contesting various local positions, including 309 candidates running for mayoral posts. The elections are being monitored by 1,451 observers, including 644 international and 807 local monitors.

If no mayoral candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, a second round of voting will be held on November 2.

Local elections in North Macedonia are held every four years, and this is the eighth such election since the process began. Previous local elections took place in 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2021.

These elections play a key role in shaping governance at the municipal level and are seen as a barometer of public sentiment ahead of national elections.

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