The residents of Karpoš elected one mayor - and for almost a month the municipality has been run by an entirely different man. Sotir Lukrovski has been on sick leave since the end of May, with no official information on the reason or the date of his return, and in his absence a councillor is in charge.

The municipality is temporarily run by Nedelčo Krstevski of VMRO-DPMNE, whose councillor mandate is suspended. This is where the problems begin - and they are not only political, but also legal.

First, the title. Although the public calls him „deputy mayor", no such office exists in Macedonian law. The Law on Local Self-Government only allows a temporary replacement by a councillor, not a formal deputy position. Second, the deadline. According to the municipal statute, the replacement must be designated within 30 days of taking office - yet Lukrovski appointed Krstevski on May 7, fully six months after taking office.

Former mayor Stevčo Jakimovski did not miss the chance to criticize, describing a neglected Karpoš: „Grass up to your knees. Broken urban infrastructure. Withered trees. This is what Karpoš looks like today." Whether that is reality or political calculation - the citizens see best from their own windows.

Behind the dispute lies a familiar Balkan model. We already saw how, in Aerodrom, after Timčo Mucunski left in 2024, the temporary stand-in governed for fully 16 months until elections. The question that goes unanswered is elementary: does a citizen have the right to know who governs their municipality, and why? Or are „health reasons" enough of an explanation to silence every question?