SKOPJE, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia managed to hold local elections of Oct. 15 in a competitive environment, thus contributing to strengthening confidence in the democratic process, European Union (EU) Delegation to Skopje said in a statement Tuesday.
While confirming the ongoing support to Macedonia in its reform process, the EU delegation said the European Union encouraged the newly elected members of the local bodies to contribute to advancing the EU reform agenda.
On the other hand, the EU urged the authorities to effectively address forthcoming recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR regarding the elections process.
Macedonia is preparing for the second round of elections in some municipalities to be held on Oct. 29.
EU called on all political representatives to act responsibly and ensure conditions for a credible and transparent electoral process.
In the meantime, Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev declared in a press conference that he was not thinking on calling for early elections.
According to Zaev, the government's priority for the moment was to finalize the current local government elections.
"Our priority is to finalize the ongoing early parliamentary elections and announce them fair and democratic. This is the only way Macedonia can win," Zaev told reporters Tuesday.
Macedonia's State Election Commission announced Monday the first results of Oct. 15 local election.
In the first round of voting, SDSM won 37 communes and the city of Skopje, as one of the biggest administrative units in the country, while VMRO-DPMNE only won in 3 communes.
35 other communes of the country will hold a runoff on Oct. 29.
