North Macedonia’s ruling conservative party, VMRO-DPMNE, won control of 33 municipalities in the first round of local elections, strengthening its position as the dominant political force ahead of next year’s parliamentary vote, according to preliminary results.
Although the total number of votes was slightly lower compared to last year’s parliamentary elections, the outcome marks a clear improvement from the 2021 local polls, when the party secured 22 municipalities.
The party’s headquarters in Skopje celebrated late into the night, with Prime Minister and party leader Hristijan Mickoski calling the results “a triumph of the people.”
“We won in municipalities that were once strongholds of SDSM. The policies of division and nationalism have been defeated — now it’s time for reforms in the opposition,” Mickoski said.
In the capital, VMRO-DPMNE candidate Orce Gjorgjievski built a strong lead but will face Levica’s Amar Mecinovic in the second round to secure the mayoralty.
SDSM Suffers Heavy Defeat
The opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) won only three municipalities — Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, and Bogdanci — marking its worst result in a decade.
Its mayoral candidate for Skopje, Kaja Shukova, finished fourth behind Gjorgjievski, Mecinovic, and Bashkim Bakiu from the Vlen coalition.
“This result is not what we hoped for, though there are signs of stabilization in some areas,” SDSM leader Venko Filipche said, acknowledging a sharp decline in voter support.
Ethnic Albanian Parties Retain Strongholds
In ethnic Albanian-majority municipalities, the results confirmed the dominance of the two main Albanian blocs.
In Saraj, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) — part of the National Alliance for Integration (NAI) — won 10 council seats, while the Vlen coalition took nine.
In Cair, Vlen leads with 14 councilors versus 11 for NAI.
In Shuto Orizari, the Roma Union holds the largest number of council seats, while VMRO-DPMNE and Vlen each secured four.
VMRO-DPMNE also emerged as the largest party in the Skopje City Council, with 18 out of 45 seats.
NAI, Levica, and Vlen each won six, while SDSM managed just five. Independent lists took two seats.
The ruling party holds a majority in six of Skopje’s ten municipalities, including Kisela Voda, Gazi Baba, Aerodrom, and Gjorce Petrov, where its lead is substantial.
SDSM holds a slight edge only in Centar, with eight councilors — one more than VMRO-DPMNE.
Two candidates from the newly formed ZNAM party — Maksim Dimitrievski in Kumanovo and Miroslav Labudovic in Centar — advanced to the second round, underscoring the rise of independent and alternative political movements.
Vote Totals Reflect Shifting Political Landscape
According to the State Election Commission, VMRO-DPMNE received around 301,000 votes for councilor lists across municipalities — about 12,000 more than in 2021.
SDSM gathered 126,000 votes, down by 111,000 compared to four years ago.
The DUI/NAI bloc won roughly 114,000 votes, Vlen 92,000, Levica 58,000, ZNAM 39,000, and the new “Experience for Success” coalition about 13,000.
The results confirm a political realignment in North Macedonia, where the right-wing ruling bloc led by VMRO-DPMNE has expanded its influence at the local level.
The poor showing of SDSM intensifies pressure on Filipche to overhaul the party’s leadership and policy agenda.
As the second round will determine key municipalities such as Skopje and Kumanovo, early trends suggest that opposition movements and citizen initiatives could play a decisive role in reshaping the country’s political landscape.