• Friday, 22 November 2024

Sick, frail, COVID-19 patients, inmates vote in second round of local elections

Sick, frail, COVID-19 patients, inmates vote in second round of local elections
Skopje, 30 October 2021 (MIA) – The sick and frail, persons infected with COVID-19 and in isolation, inmates, detainees, people in retirement homes and internally displaced persons are voting on Saturday in the second round the 2021 local elections. The rest of the population will vote in the runoff on Sunday, October 31, in 44 municipalities across North Macedonia. A total of 1,353,990 citizens have the right to cast their ballot in 2,481 polling stations nationwide. By order of the Constitutional Court, the first round of voting for mayor and council members will be repeated in one polling place in Debar, as well as in a polling station in Shuto Orizari, where citizens will once again have to elect municipal councilors. Residents of Mavrovo-Rostushe and Centar Zhupa won’t be voting in Sunday’s runoff. These two municipalities will redo the first round, in line with the Law on Local Self-Government, due to a failure to meet the prerequisite turnout of one third of registered voters. Council members in these municipalities were elected October 17. 32 mayors were elected in the first round of the local elections, as were members of municipal councils. North Macedonia is introducing biometric fingerprint identification of voters in these local elections for the first time ever. However, conventional identification will be used for those voting on Saturday. The voting of the sick and frail will be carried out by electoral boards. Special electoral board comprised of health workers will conduct the voting of persons infected with COVID-19 and in isolation. If any of these people are not at home on Saturday, they won’t be able to vote on Election Day. 1,409 voters are serving prison sentences or are in detention, 266 are in institutions for out-of-family care and six are recorded as internally displaced persons. Voting will be held in line with general COVID-19 protection measures. Results of the voting of the sick, frail, persons infected with COVID-19 and in isolation will be announced on Sunday along with those of the rest of the country. MIA Photo: Archive