Skopje mayor Danela Arsovska has been given until August 22 to present a comprehensive plan to address the ongoing issues within the city and its public enterprises, following a tense meeting on August 19 between representatives from the government and the City of Skopje. 

The issues in Skopje related to city transport and waste collection have left residents frustrated and upset with Arsovska, who has taken little action to address the situation. 

A major topic of concern was the Skopje city public transport company JSP, which is facing a critical shortage of operational buses. With only 200 buses currently running, down from 350 in 2012, the situation is particularly problematic as the new school year approaches, potentially causing significant disruptions in passenger transport. 

Another pressing issue is waste collection. Citizens often complain about overflowing bins in some neighbourhoods, with services failing to collect the rubbish, a significant problem during the summer when temperatures in Skopje reach around 40 degrees Celsius.

Poor performance 

Danela Arsovska was elected mayor following local elections held in October 2021 as an independent candidate, backed by VMRO-DPMNE, the current ruling party and former opposition. However, their relationship soon soured. 

Since she assumed office, problems in the city have only worsened, with city transport being the most significant issue. Citizens frequently complain about buses being late or not arriving at all, making it difficult for them to reach their destinations on time. Despite Arsovska’s promise of free city transport for all, this has not materialized. Instead, relations with the city's public transport companies have deteriorated.

The problem is complex: there aren’t enough buses, driver wages are an issue, and the city struggles to retain professional drivers as many have emigrated abroad in recent years.

Citizens are increasingly frustrated with JSP's performance, as they sometimes have to wait 2-3 hours for a bus to return home from work. Many are voicing their dissatisfaction on social media.

"Can you believe I waited for two hours for bus number 5 to get home from work? The timetable board kept showing that the bus was arriving, but it never did. In the end, I had to call my father to pick me up by car," said Marija, a young citizen of Skopje.

No solutions 

The meeting on August 19 ended with growing concern among government officials about the lack of proposed solutions from Arsovska.

North Macedonia's Minister of Local Self-Government Zlatko Perinski expressed his deepening worries after the meeting, noting that the government had hoped to hear concrete plans from the city that could be supported at a national level.

"In short, we expected that we would hear from the city some plan or some real needs that we as the government could help to realise. But we did not hear anything constructive from their side," Perinski said.  

The meeting also touched on the pressing issues facing the city's public enterprises, including the potential revocation of authorisations for Communal Hygiene and Parks and Greenery. Perinski indicated that the government would wait for Arsovska's plan before considering any legal actions to potentially decentralise these enterprises to the municipalities.

 

"The situation in the City is desperate, the situation in public enterprises is desperate, and as a general conclusion, the lack of communication between the advisory groups within the City of Skopje is one of the obstacles to the implementation of projects by the City," Perinski said, according to the government statement.

He added that the government would await the mayor's proposed plan by the end of the week before drawing any further conclusions or taking additional steps to address the crisis in the city.

While the government has not called for Arsovska's resignation, Perinski hinted that he might consider filing a criminal complaint for abuse of an official position if the situation does not improve, according to broadcaster Sitel.

Dwindling popularity 

Arsovska rarely appears in public, but surprisingly, she scheduled a press conference for the morning of August 20. 

At the news conference on August 20, Skopje Mayor Danela Arsovska stated that the city will continue to suffer from poor hygiene and non-functional public transport until the city Council approves the essential programs and plans for 2024.

She said that the ongoing blockade in the council was orchestrated by VMRO-DPMNE and its councillors in the City of Skopje.

Arsovska's dwindling popularity is evident as she formed her own party, Nova Alternativa, which participated in the May general elections, receiving less than 1% of the votes. VMRO-DPMNE convincingly won the elections, ousting the Social Democrats from power.