Brvenica elects a mayor in a runoff: Radičevski has 2,943 votes, Jahija 2,152, and first-round turnout was about 46.5 percent

Today, November 1, the second round of the early mayoral election is being held in Brvenica. The contenders are Stojančo Radičevski of the “Your Macedonia” coalition led by VMRO-DPMNE and Arkin Jahija of the NAI coalition, in which DUI takes part. The results are published by the State Election Commission (DIK), and at the time of publication they are not known. The story was carried by Sitel, Nova Makedonija, Republika, Vecer, Racin and other outlets.

The first-round figures. On October 18, 7,565 of 16,256 registered voters cast ballots, a turnout of about 46.5 percent (the reports give 46.56 percent, and the two figures work out to 46.54 percent). More than half of the electorate, 8,691 (our calculation), stayed at home. Radičevski received 2,943 votes, or about 38.9 percent of those who voted (our calculation), and Jahija 2,152, or about 28.4 percent. The gap between them is 791 votes. None of the six candidates won a majority, and DIK confirmed the result after the deadline for objections passed without a single one being filed.

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The figures against all voters. When the votes are compared with all registered voters rather than only those who turned out, the picture is different: Radičevski is backed by about 18.1 percent of the entire electoral roll, Jahija by about 13.2 percent, Huseini by about 9.4 percent and Radeski by about 4.3 percent (our calculation from first-round votes). That means that even the winner of the runoff will be chosen by less than half of the electorate if turnout stays at the level of about 46.5 percent.

Where the other votes are. According to Kolegium, third-placed Jakup Huseini of VLEN received 1,528 votes and Jovica Radeski of SDSM 706. The two independent candidates, Dušan Bogdanovski and Arife Idrizi, received 55 and 21 votes. VLEN is a coalition partner of VMRO-DPMNE at the national level. How many of these voters will turn out today and how they will vote is not known, and there is no data that would show it.

Why there is an election. According to Kolegium, the election is early because the previous mayor, Jovica Ilievski, died; a year ago he won as the VMRO-DPMNE candidate. Brvenica is a municipality in the Polog region that until 1996 was part of the municipality of Tetovo.

The procedure today. Yesterday, October 31, 116 people were entitled to vote: 107 sick and infirm and nine serving prison sentences. The election silence began at midnight. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the Electoral Code. The vote is monitored by 61 accredited observers, 56 domestic and five international.

What the arithmetic shows. The gap of 791 votes is smaller than the votes of the third-placed candidate (1,528), but larger than those of the fourth-placed one (706). The outcome therefore depends on the mobilisation of these voters and on whether the 8,691 who did not vote turn out, and not only on the two finalists. We make no forecast.

What is not known. The result, turnout in the second round and the positions of VLEN and SDSM on whom to support in the runoff are not published in the reports we checked.

What to follow. Whether turnout falls below about 46.5 percent or rises, how large the gap between the two candidates is and whether there will be objections before DIK, whose deadline after the first round passed without a single one.

MKNews Hub · Macedonia · November 1, 2026