Skopje, 29 September 2025 (MIA) – Parties and independent candidates kick off Monday the campaign for the 2025 local elections by starting to present their programs to voters. The local election campaign ends on October 17 before a 24-hour election silence starts on the eve of the October 19 elections. The second round of this year’s local elections takes place on November 2. In addition to on-the-ground activities, the campaign is already under way on social media.

VMRO-DPMNE and its coalition will start its local election campaign on Monday evening in Skopje with a large rally to promote its mayoral candidate, Orce Gjorgjievski. VMRO-DPMNE promoted all of its mayoral candidates this Saturday in Shtip. 

SDSM and its coalition will hold its central rally today in Krushevo where Tome Hristoski is running for mayor. Rallies will be held earlier today in Demir Hisar and Mogila. The opposition coalition presented its mayoral candidates yesterday.

Professor Goran Markovski, a candidate for mayor of Skopje backed by the Independent Together initiative, will kick off his campaign at a news conference in Skopje’s Karposh.

The Vlen coalition will hold a central rally to promote its mayoral candidates on Tuesday in Skopje. Izet Mexhiti, the coalition’s candidate for mayor of Chair and the incumbent deputy prime minister, will present his election program on Monday.

DUI held a central event to promote the candidates for mayors in Skopje yesterday. 

The Experience for Success coalition, made up of LDP, GROM, Integra and PCER, also presented its candidates for mayors and municipal councillors. 

According to the Electoral Code, Article 69a, “an election campaign is considered a public gathering and other public events organized by a participant in the election campaign, public display of posters, video presentations in public places, election media and online presentation, distribution of printed materials and public presentation of candidates confirmed by the competent election authorities and their programs.”

According to the Electoral Code, local elections are held every four years in the second half of October.

The local self-government is organized in 80 municipalities and the City of Skopje, being a separate local self-government unit. The City of Skopje includes 10 municipalities.

Local elections in the country were held in 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021. 

MIA file photo