The mayor of Karposh, Sotir Lukrovski, has been out of public view for nearly a month. The official explanation is sick leave for health reasons, with his deputy Nedelcho Krstevski performing the role. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski confirmed the sick leave - but when asked where Lukrovski actually is, he smiled instead of answering.

And that smile is the heart of the problem. Being ill is no shame - anyone can fall ill. But silence is another matter. A month without a single statement, without a press conference, without a word about his condition or when he's expected back, leaves room for every kind of speculation: resignation, intra-party disagreements, or something else entirely.

The opposition SDSM is demanding early local elections in Karposh, arguing that the municipality cannot remain in this kind of uncertainty indefinitely. At one point even Mickoski referred to deputy Krstevski as the "mayor" - a slip of the tongue or a confirmation, it's hard to say.

The point the residents of Karposh are raising is simple: a municipality is not a private company, it's a public institution funded by their money. They have a right to know who runs it and until when. The answer to that question isn't the private business of any official - it's the minimum of accountability that every authority owes to the people who pay for it. A hush and a smile aren't an answer; they're an escape from one.