Skopje, 17 October 2021 (MIA) – Preliminary trends based on incoming data from municipal election headquarters suggest that SDSM and the Best for My Municipality coalition is headed to victory, SDSM top official Ljupcho Nikolovski said. Sunday’s local elections were fair, free and democratic, the party’s secretary general told a news conference. “The positive atmosphere throughout the election campaign was translated into a peaceful election day. Some isolated minor irregularities were reported and the relevant institutions addressed them immediately,” Nikolovski stated congratulating the institutions for organizing fair, free and democratic elections. He mentioned that “challenges” involving fingerprint scanners to identify voters occurred saying it was expected. “To vote after having your fingerprint scanned was a condition demanded by VMRO-DPMNE in order to vote in favor of the Electoral Code and SDSM approved it, being a democratic party, in order to allow election results to be even more credible,” Nikolovski said.