Republic of North Macedonia

The second round of North Macedonia’s mayoral elections offered voters a choice between political alternatives and the campaign was competitive in most municipalities, but not all candidates had equal campaign conditions and the continued involvement of government officials in the campaign continued as well as persistent allegations of pressure on voters and numerous allegations of vote buying were of concern, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today.

The ruling centre-right party of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski confirmed its victory in Sunday’s local election runoffs - also winning the prize mayoralty of the capital, Skopje.

Ruling centre-right VMRO DPMNE party hails landslide victory over its rivals in Sunday’s local elections, coming first in 53 of the country’s 81 municipalities.

The campaign was competitive in North Macedonia’s local elections and voters had a wide range of political alternatives to choose from, but they were negatively affected by systemic legal gaps and shortcomings in the oversight of campaign finances as well as political polarization and deep public disenchantment with politics, international observers said in a statement today.

The right-wing VMRO DPMNE party led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski expects to win big in local polls this weekend, cementing its grip on power.

The country's top court declared that a rule change making it far harder for independent candidates to compete in elections was unconstitutional. … However, the question of whether independents and grassroots movements can participate in the October 2025 local elections remains unclear, as the ruling did not automatically restore the previous, more favourable, provision.

North Macedonia is tired of encountering obstacles on its path to EU membership and will no longer accept ultimatums, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told media during a visit to Brussels.

Parliament in North Macedonia is gearing up to elect an ethnic Albanian as speaker, signalling an imminent end to coalition talks and the formation of a new government led by the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party. 

Voters in North Macedonia were casting ballots on Wednesday in a parliamentary election and a presidential runoff dominated by issues including the country's path toward European Union membership, corruption and the economy.

Opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is in the lead after winning almost almost 40% of the first-round vote. The election comes as North Macedonia seeks EU membership.