Voting underway in Macedonia

SKOPJE, Macedonia (Reuters) -- Voters are going to the polls in Macedonia's second round of local elections, with the ballot overshadowed by tension in its powerful northern neighbour, Yugoslavia, and by violence among ethnic Albanians in the first round.

And after polls opened on Sunday, two people, including a young girl, were injured in a shootout between government and opposition supporters in Strumica, about 140 kilometres (85 miles) southeast of the capital Skopje, private Sitel television reported, quoting opposition sources.

In Skopje, two polling stations had to be closed down because of irregularities, including a man grabbing the voters' list from the local commission and running away, the state electoral commission said.

It added that the voter turnout by 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) was about 13 percent.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will close 12 hours later.

The central electoral commission has said that out of 124 municipalities, 54 mayoral places will be decided in the second round, in 27 others there will be partial revote because of irregularities and 33 mayors had been elected.

In several constituencies counting was not over yet because electoral officials were still considering various complaints.

The Macedonian poll has turned into a tense political battle between a reformist government coalition and their Socialist opponents which ran neck and neck in the first round.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said that on September 10 voting in many areas, populated by ethnic Albanians, about one third of the 2.1 million population, had been marred by proxy voting, ballot stuffing and violence.

At least one quarter of Macedonia's 2.2 million people are ethnic Albanians, whose representatives have been included in the government. The community, however, demands broader rights and greater self-rule.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Macedonian Ministry of Information

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