North Macedonia Holds Local Elections, Introduces Voter Biometrics

Voters across North Macedonia went to the polls on October 17 for local elections that mark the first test for Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) since it narrowly won parliamentary elections in July 2020. North Macedonia has some 1.8 million voters who will elect local officials in 80 municipalities, plus the 10 municipalities that make up the capital, Skopje. This is the first election in which voters will be identified using biometric fingerprint readers.