North Macedonia
Brvenica heads to a runoff on Nov. 1: Arkin Jahiji faces Stojanče Radičevski as VLEN accuses the opposition of sowing division
The State Election Commission unanimously approved the first-round results with no complaints; VLEN says its voters back the Albanian candidate.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 22, 2026, 10:17 · Updated 12:24 · 1 min read
In brief
- The State Election Commission confirmed a second round of the early election in Brvenica on Nov. 1.
- The runoff pits Stojanče Radičevski, of the VMRO-DPMNE coalition, against Arkin Jahiji, of the National Alliance for Integration.
- VLEN says its candidate, Jakup Huseini, congratulated Jahiji on election night.
North Macedonia's State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday evening unanimously approved the results of the first round of the early mayoral election in the municipality of Brvenica, near Tetovo. Since no candidate was elected in the Oct. 18 vote, the race will be decided in a second round on Nov. 1.
SEC Chairman Bojan Maričić said at the commission's 23rd session that no complaint had been filed by the deadlines, either about the voting procedure or the determination of the results.
The two candidates
The runoff will pit Stojanče Radičevski, number 1 on the ballot, from the “Your Macedonia” coalition led by VMRO-DPMNE, against Arkin Jahiji, number 6, the candidate of the National Alliance for Integration.
Clash among the Albanian parties
On Thursday, VLEN accused the Albanian opposition of creating division in Brvenica with its rhetoric. According to VLEN, its candidate Jakup Huseini and the local team congratulated Jahiji immediately after the polls closed and promised him support for the second round. The party says its voters have been oriented since election night toward unity and support for the Albanian candidate, so responsibility for mobilization now falls on Jahiji and his coalition.
VLEN also warned that it will not accept “shady political deals” at residents' expense and accused the DUI of having drawn Brvenica into such deals in the past. By the time the statement was published, the opposition had not responded to the accusations.
Brvenica is a municipality with a mixed Macedonian and Albanian population near Tetovo, and the Nov. 1 second round will decide who leads it until the next regular local elections.
