Mayoral candidates head for runoff in Brvenica
Get European news in your inbox daily
A short daily digest of the whole continent — or just the countries you care about.
Check your email. We've sent a confirmation link — click it to complete your subscription.
A snap local election in Brvenica has left the ruling coalition with a choice to make before the November 1 runoff. Stojanco Radichevski of the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition led the first round with nearly 39% of the vote, while Arkin Jahij of the Democratic Union for Integration took 28%. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski was quick to welcome the result, primarily as a victory over the rival Social Democrats.
The third-place finisher, Jakup Huseini, belongs to the VLEN coalition, which governs nationally alongside VMRO-DPMNE. Having personally congratulated the runner-up, Huseini and his party must now decide whether to back their senior government partner or the opposition in the final round. Coalition discipline in the capital does not always survive the realities of local polling.
Elsewhere, Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi described the low-cost airline as the de facto national carrier, stating he has no intention of leaving. Domestic services remain less efficient; in Skopje, a mother of twins with autism reported spending her days without state-provided assistants, a reminder that while the airline is staying, the social support system has yet to arrive.