Today North Macedonia votes in the first round of local elections.
Voting opened at 07:00 and will close at 19:00.
Citizens will head to the ballot boxes to elect the mayors of 81 municipalities and members of municipal councils, including the city of Skopje.
The electoral process takes place in 3,474 polling centers across the country, while 1,832,415 citizens with the right to vote are registered on the voter list.
22 political parties, 19 coalitions and 119 independent citizens' groups are participating in the elections, including a total of 309 candidates for mayor and 576 lists for council members.
Skopje holds the highest number of mayoral candidates, with a total of 16 candidates vying for the leadership of the capital.
The elections are being monitored by 1,451 observers, of which 807 are local and 644 are international.