site.btaElection Campaign in Republic of North Macedonia Enters Final Phase

The election campaign in the Republic of North Macedonia ahead of the local elections has entered its final phase. It officially ends on October 17, and local elections in 80 municipalities and the city of Skopje will be held on October 19.

According to observers, the election campaign is proceeding with familiar visual solutions, lacking creativity, and mixing local issues with national topics. The leaders of the major parties are actively taking part in the campaign.

One of the topics that emerged during the campaign is the possibility of early parliamentary elections after the local elections are over.

While at the beginning of the campaign, the leader of VMRO-DPMNE and Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, was adamant that there would be no early parliamentary elections, during a more recent visit to Strumica, southeastern North Macedonia, he said that such a scenario was possible.

Media in North Macedonia quote Mickoski as saying: "I expect that after these local elections we will enter a cycle of increased investment. Those who follow politics will say that VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition will have a strong victory, stronger than that [in the local elections] in 2021, and it is logical to call early parliamentary elections to secure a new four-year term. But if we look at it from a State perspective, then we think differently. We want to put the State above everything else and above the interests of businesspeople, so that you have a predictable future, so that you know what to expect. And only then do we try to prioritize our political interests. But we'll see. First, things have to happen, and then we will make decisions."

Early parliamentary elections are being discussed mainly by representatives of the National Alliance for Integration, which is formed around the largest ethnic Albanian party in the country, the Democratic Union for Integration headed by Ali Ahmeti. In an interview with Radio Free Europe on Sunday, Skender Rexhepi, the National Alliance for Integration's candidate for mayor of Skopje, said he was convinced that early parliamentary elections will follow the local elections.

The opposite position is held by representatives of the Vlen Coalition, which is a coalition partner of VMRO-DPMNE. The candidate for mayor of Cair Municipality and current first deputy prime minister, Izet Mexhiti, said he does not expect early parliamentary elections and that the focus remains on the local elections on October 19.

In an interview for MRT 1 early last week, Minister for European Affairs and Alternative (part of the Vlen Coalition) Vice President Orhan Murtezani said that the ruling majority is stable with 76 MPs.

Twenty-two parties, 19 coalitions, and 119 independent candidates will compete in the local elections held in North Macedonia on October 19. The second round for mayors who go to a runoff will be on November 2.