Brvenica: Radičevski and Jahiji go to the November 1 runoff as the State Election Commission confirms results

At its 23rd session the State Election Commission (DIK) unanimously adopted a conclusion that the first-round results of the early mayoral election in Brvenica are final. The deadline for complaints about the voting ended on October 20 at 19:00, and the one on determining and summing the results on October 21 at 12:30, and no complaints were filed, said DIK chair Bojan Maričić.

The second round is scheduled for November 1, 2026. The contenders are Stojančo Radičevski, candidate on list number 1, from the “Your Macedonia” coalition led by VMRO-DPMNE, and Arkin Jahiji, candidate on list number 6, from the National Alliance for Integration (NAI). The first round was held on October 18 and no mayor was elected.

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How large is the gap? According to preliminary results carried by the media, Radičevski won about 2,940 votes, or about 39 percent, and Jahiji 2,152, or about 28 percent, of the 7,565 voters who turned out out of 16,256 registered. The gap is about 800 votes. I did not find the final counts and percentages in the DIK confirmation announcement, so these figures should be read as preliminary.

Who holds the remaining votes? According to the same preliminary results, the VLEN list had 1,528 votes and SDSM 706. Together that is 2,234 votes, more than the gap between the two contenders in the second round. That does not mean those votes automatically go to one of the two: voters of other lists can back either candidate or stay home.

That is why the runoff changes the arithmetic. The first round shows how many votes each candidate has from their own voters, and the second how many of the rest will turn out and for whom they will vote. Turnout in a second round is often lower than in the first, which means mobilizing one's own voters carries more weight. Whether that will be the case here cannot be said in advance.

What is not known? It is not known whether VLEN and SDSM will issue a public call for the second round, or whether they will do so jointly or separately. Nor is it known what turnout will be on November 1, or whether there will be complaints after the second round too. Final counts by candidate will be known from DIK's official results.

What does it mean? Brvenica is a small municipality, but the result is read both as a local election and as an indicator of the balance between blocs. The best snapshot will come only on November 1, when it becomes clear how many voters of the other lists made up their minds and for whom.

MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 22, 2026