The seventh presidential election is being held in the country today. Citizens will be able to vote for one of the seven candidates: Stevo Pendarovski, supported by SDSM; Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, supported by VMRO-DPMNE; Stevcho Jakimovski from GROM; Biljana Vankovska, supported by the Left; Bujar Osmani from DUI; Arben Taravari from the Vredi coalition, and Maxim Dimitrievski from I KNOW.

A total of 1,814,317 voters are registered in the Voters’ List for the Presidential Elections, at 3,480 polling stations in the Republic with the right to vote. Yesterday, at 31 polling stations, our people in the diaspora, as well as prisoners, and sick and infirm persons, voted.

Polling stations will be open from 7 am to 7 pm. After the closing of the polling stations, only the people who happen to be in the building where the voting is taking place at that moment will be able to vote.

These elections are characterized by the fact that, for the first time since independence, we have so many candidates for president. The elections are held on a Wednesday, and identification will be done with fingerprint devices. It is also unique that the campaign and silence for the presidential elections overlapped with the campaign for the parliamentary elections on May 8.

According to the SEC, the presidential elections will be monitored by a total of 1601 observers, including 915 domestic and 544 international observers, as well as 84 translators and 58 foreign journalists.

After counting the votes, the electoral boards are obliged to deliver the minutes and other electoral material to the municipal electoral authorities within five hours after the end of the voting. The competent MEC then summarizes the voting results, compiles the minutes, and submits them to the SEC.

The SEC publishes the initial results of the voting received electronically successively, and the results of the minutes from the MEC within 12 hours after the end of the elections. The SEC announces the final results of the elections within 24 hours from the day of their finality.

Each submitter of a list of candidates in the procedure for voting, summarizing, and determining voting results can submit an objection to the SEC within 48 hours after the end of the voting, that is, the publication of the initial results. The SEC is obliged to decide on the objection within 48 hours after receiving it.

Against the decision of the SEC, a lawsuit can be filed with the Administrative Court, within 24 hours of receiving the decision. The Administrative Court of the Republic of Macedonia, on the other hand, is obliged to make a decision on the appeal within 48 hours after its receipt.Any voter whose right to vote has been violated during the voting process can submit an objection to the SEC within 24 hours.