(1) Municipal primary elections shall be held on the first Tuesday in April preceding the general municipal election and, in the event a second primary shall be necessary, such second primary shall be held on the fourth Tuesday in April preceding such general municipal election. The candidate receiving a majority of the votes cast in the election shall be the party nominee. If no candidate shall receive a majority vote at the election, the two (2) candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall have their names placed on the ballot for the second primary election. The candidate receiving the most votes cast in the second primary election shall be the party nominee. However, if no candidate shall receive a majority vote at the first primary, and there is a tie in the election of those receiving the next highest vote, those candidates receiving the next highest vote and the candidate receiving the highest vote shall have their names placed on the ballot for the second primary election, and whoever receives the most votes cast in the second primary election shall be the party nominee. At the primary election the municipal executive committee shall perform the same duties as are specified by law and performed by members of the county executive committee with regard to state and county primary elections. Each municipal executive committee shall have as many members as there are elective officers of the municipality, and the members of the municipal executive committee of each political party shall be elected in the primary elections held for the nomination of candidates for municipal offices. The provisions of this section shall govern all municipal primary elections as far as applicable, but the officers to prepare the ballots and the poll managers and other officials of the primary election shall be appointed by the municipal executive committee of the party holding the primary, and the returns of such election shall be made to such municipal executive committee. Vacancies in the executive committee shall be filled by it.

(2) Provided, however, that in municipalities operating under a special or private charter which fixes a time for holding elections, other than the time fixed by Chapter 491, Laws of 1950, the first primary election shall be held on the first Tuesday, two (2) months before the time for holding the general election, as fixed by the charter, and the second primary election, where necessary, shall be held three (3) weeks after the first primary election, unless the charter of any such municipality provides otherwise, in which event the provisions of the special or private charter shall prevail as to the time of holding such primary elections.

(3) All primary elections in municipalities shall be held and conducted in the same manner as is provided by law for state and county primary elections.