North Macedonia is in the midst of a pre-election period characterised by a flurry of promises from politicians, ranging from infrastructure investments to tackling environmental issues, as the country prepares for its upcoming local elections on October 19.

These elections mark the eighth cycle since independence in 1991, and the stakes are high for parties across the political spectrum.

The elections will take place in all 80 municipalities, including the City of Skopje, with 3,480 polling stations across the country, according to the election commission. Citizens will vote not only for mayors - with 303 candidates vying for the positions - but also for new municipal councillors, shaping the direction of local governance for years to come.

The campaign officially kicked off on September 29, with the first round of voting set for October 19 and a second round on November 2 for municipalities where no candidate secure a clear victory.

Skopje’s mayoral race takes centre stage amid city woes

The mayoral election in Skopje is attracting the most attention. The candidate of the ruling right-wing VMRO-DPMNE, Orce Gjeorgjievski is widely expected to win the capital’s top position. His main competitor is Kaja Shukova, representing the opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, although polls indicate a significant lead for Gjeorgjievski.

The new mayor faces formidable challenges: Skopje has experienced years of neglect under current mayor Danela Arsovska, an independent candidate initially supported by VMRO-DPMNE, whose political disagreements with the party led to stalled city projects.

Arsovska suspended the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project initiated by her predecessor, Petre Silegov, from the ranks of the Social Democrats. The project, intended to ease Skopje’s chronic traffic congestion, was backed by a €70mn loan from the EBRD. Meanwhile, the city’s public transport company, JSP, is struggling with a major shortage of operational buses - with only around 200 in service last year, compared to 350 in 2012.

During winter, Skopje ranks among the most polluted cities in the world. This year, however, the problem has been compounded by several landfill fires that authorities suspect were acts of arson ahead of the elections. In September, residents of Aerodrom, Skopje’s largest municipality, took to the streets to protest against the suffocating smoke and foul odour from a fire at the illegal Vardariste landfill. They said the demonstrations were a response to the authorities’ continued failure to tackle one of the capital’s most serious environmental issues.

Citizens generally voiced frustration over high pollution, poor infrastructure, public transport issues, and a visible waste management crisis.

“In Skopje, there is a lot of garbage; I don’t know how it got to this point. It really bothers me, as if no one cares about the city,” said an elderly resident.

Marina, a 32-year-old mother, told bne IntelliNews that Skopje faces many problems and that politicians tend to focus on the major ones - such as pollution and traffic - although even those remain unresolved.

“But for us mothers, other issues are equally important, such as the shortage of places in kindergartens. There simply aren’t enough of them, and enrolling a child often requires personal ties and months of waiting. The conditions are poor as well - children come home sick after just a day or two,” she said.

VMRO-DPMNE’s candidate for mayor of Skopje, Gjeorgjievski, enjoys stronger support than all four of his main rivals combined, according to a survey published in mid-September by the Institute for Political Research Skopje for MRT.

The poll shows Gjorgievski leading with 29% of voter support, while SDSM’s Kaja Shukova follows with 8.1%. Over 29% of respondents remain undecided.

When asked which party is most likely to win the upcoming local elections, 42.6% of respondents said VMRO-DPMNE.

Public sentiment about the city’s direction is largely negative - 50.3% believe Skopje is moving in the wrong direction, while 38.2% think life in the capital has worsened in recent years.

Orce Gjeorgjievski pledges to make cleaning the city his first priority, followed by wide-ranging infrastructure and community improvements across Skopje, including new schools, kindergartens, parks, cultural centres, sports facilities, and upgraded roads and utilities.

In municipalities with predominantly ethnic Albanian populations across the country, the main contest is expected to be between candidates from the ruling coalition partner VLEN and those representing the opposition DUI.

Reviving heritage amid political turmoil: the story of the Orthodox Church

In a symbolic twist less than a month before the elections, the Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine and Elena in central Skopje was finally consecrated on September 28, 13 years after construction began. The project, initiated under former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE government, endured years of political turbulence, funding shortages, and even violent protests in 2013 over alleged demolition plans. Gruevski, later accused of corruption, fled to Hungary, where he remains in hiding.

The original church, Saints Constantine and Elena, constructed in the period surrounding World War I, was consecrated in 1926. Although it sustained only minor damage during the 1963 earthquake in Skopje, it was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for the construction of the City Shopping Centre.

The cornerstone for the new church was laid in November 2012, with the Macedonian Orthodox Church financing the project through the “Saint Tsar Constantine” Foundation and donor conferences.

Controversy followed in 2013, when violent protests erupted over the alleged plans for the demolition of the church by then-mayor Andrej Zhernovski. 

After VMRO-DPMNE returned to power in 2024, construction accelerated, completing the interior, exterior, and surrounding areas.

Now, the church stands proudly near the Mother Teresa monument, drawing both worshippers and foreign tourists, a rare success story in a city littered with unfinished facades, half-built churches, and stalled university buildings.

Elections as a test of accountability

Yet, not every building has had such a successful resolution as this church. Numerous smaller churches, facades, and university buildings remain incomplete across Skopje, often due to insufficient funding and changes in political leadership. The Social Democrats, who came to power in 2017, halted many of the VMRO-DPMNE projects, leaving a legacy of unfinished construction.

“In the centre of Skopje, some facades have remained unfinished for more than ten years, spoiling the city’s appearance - and that really bothers me,” a resident told bne IntelliNews.

The upcoming elections are seen as an opportunity to address these long-standing issues, or conversely, to let them persist, depending on the elected officials’ priorities. Voters in North Macedonia face a crucial choice, not only between political parties but also in shaping the future of their cities’ infrastructure, public services, and cultural landmarks.

The results of the October 19 elections will determine the trajectory of local governance, public services, and civic trust for years to come.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski during the campaign in Strumica on October 8 said that following VMRO-DPMNE’s anticipated victory in the local elections, it would be logical to consider early parliamentary elections and a fresh four-year mandate, news agency MIA reported.

In the 2021 local elections in North Macedonia, VMRO-DPMNE won the mayoral race in 41 municipalities, the Social Democrats (SDSM) secured 17, and DUI claimed 11, while the remaining positions went to smaller parties or independent candidates.