State Election Commission starts preparations for Brevnica mayoral by-election on 18 October 2026

The State Election Commission (SEC) adopted a timetable this afternoon to organise a mayoral by-election in the Municipality of Brevnica and appointed the leadership and members of the Municipal Election Commission by lot after the local commission's mandate expired.

Election date set for 18 October 2026

The Speaker of the Assembly, Afrim Gashi, formally set the election date for 18 October 2026 following the recent sudden death of Brevnica's mayor, Jovica Ilievski. At the session, SEC chair Bojan Maričić said the commission has officially begun all operational activities related to the by-election.

“As before, the SEC remains committed to its legal and constitutional role to be the protector and guarantor of the democratic voting right. I assure the public that we will take all measures to ensure the electoral process is conducted fully, transparently, in a fair and democratic atmosphere in accordance with the highest standards for running elections, enabling the citizens of the Municipality of Brevnica to freely and dignifiedly express their will on 18 October 2026,” Maricic said.

Boris Kondarko, a member of the SEC, outlined the key dates from the adopted timetable: public inspection of the voter register begins on 22 August and lasts 20 days until 10 September, and will be available at the SEC branch in Brevnica where citizens can request corrections to their personal data if necessary. Collection of signatures for mayoral candidates starts on 17 August and runs for up to 15 days, until 31 August. The election campaign opens on 21 September and continues for 20 days until 16 October. Candidate lists must be submitted to the Municipal Election Commission in Brevnica by 12 September.

Because the previous municipal commission's mandate had expired, SEC selected the new chair, vice-chair, members and deputy members of the Municipal Election Commission by random draw at today's meeting. The SEC also decided to request the Ministry of Internal Affairs to update the voter register, to engage additional personnel for auxiliary election bodies — including IT specialists — and to set a payment amount for paid political advertising for media outlets that have not registered in the last five years.

SEC officials said the commission will continue to monitor preparations closely and take the steps required to ensure that voters in Brevnica can exercise their rights in an orderly and transparent process on the scheduled election date.

Photo: press material from the event