Skopje, 19 August 2025 (MIA) - The State Election Commission (SEC) failed to adopt Tuesday a guideline on the number of council members in the municipal councils and the Skopje city council, after SEC member Ditmire Shehu requested that a decision is made by consensus, unanimously, citing provisions from the Electoral Code which, she said, allow an SEC member to request such voting if the decision concerns non-majority communities.

Shehu found issue with adopting a guideline on the basis of an existing government decision, with which, she said, the number of council members would be reduced based on the 2021 Census which divided the population into residents and non-residents. According to the SEC member, the number of council members should be determined according to the Law on Local Self-Government and not a government decision.

The Commission’s legal department will need to issue an opinion on Shehu’s request within a specified timeframe.

SEC President Boris Kondarko said such a guideline was adopted ahead of the 2021 local elections on the basis of a 2004 government decision on the number of council members in municipal councils and the Skopje city council.

Nevertheless, the SEC President put the guideline to a vote, after which it was determined that five members voted in favor and two against, meaning the guideline could not be adopted unanimously. Kondarko said the Commission would revisit the item once the legal procedure is completed. 

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