Conflicting Green Visions Dominate Race to Run North Macedonia’s Capital

This overarching national issue has so far overshadowed the mayoral contest in Skopje, where there has been no direct TV duel between the two candidates ahead of the runoffs.

Arsovska is cross about the recent negative campaigning against her, which this week included an accusation by the Social Democrats that she has double, Bulgarian, citizenship.

The spat has turned the finish of the campaign into a primitive quarrel about who is "lying", leaving little room for a public discourse on the actual visions of the two candidates.

For that, one has to compare their written platforms and what they said in public appearances.

Free of charge bus transport is the main trump card of the opposition candidate Danela Arsovska. Photo: BIRN/Vlado Apostolov

Better public transport, less use of cars

One central topic is solving the traffic chaos in the city of more than half a million residents, rising to more than 700,000 people, including outlying suburbs - almost one-third of the country's total population.

The focus is on getting Skopje's citizens out of their cars and encouraging the use of more eco-friendly public transport.

But while the goal is the same, the candidates have different and sometimes opposing views on how to do this.

The incumbent mayor, Shilegov, champions the complete reorganisation of public transport, which currently comprises several hundred not very eco-friendly buses.

This is to be achieved with the introduction of Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, popularly called wheeled trams.

This system takes the basic principles of tram operation, with the key difference that it uses hybrid gas and electricity-driven long-haul buses, moving in separate lanes,...