North Macedonia holds second round of local election with ruling conservatives leading

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SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Voters in North Macedonia cast ballots Sunday in local election runoffs that are expected to cement the ruling conservatives’ landslide victory in the first round.

VMRO-DPMNE candidates won 33 out of 44 mayoral contests decided in the Oct. 19 first round, including a majority of city councilors, leaving opposition Social Democrats trailing and dashing hopes of an early general election.

There are 81 municipalities in North Macedonia and runoffs are taking place in 37, including the capital, Skopje. Conservative candidates are leading in almost all contests.

Candidates’ promises about the economy, jobs and education in Skopje are likely to take a backseat to problems linked to garbage collection. Until Sunday, trash had been accumulating for weeks due to operational and financial problems faced by the garbage collection company.

The garbage has attracted rats, flies and stray cats and dogs. A child was recently bitten by a rat and was treated at a clinic.

But on Sunday, the roads in Skopje suddenly appeared bright and clean, surprising residents.

Just over 1 million are eligible to vote in the runoffs. Turnout in the first round of local elections was 46.48%.