The citizens of Skopje should prepare for a major traffic gridlock tomorrow, as the privately owned bus companies announce blockades and protests. This is the result of the collapsing city governance, as Mayor Danela Arsovska is antagonizing the VMRO-DPMNE party, on whose ticket she was elected, and tries to run the city without almost any support in the council. This led to serious financial issues in several city institutions, including public transport, where the city has failed to pay private companies that run on some of the public lines.

More than 30 buses and 300 workers of the Sloboda Prevoz company are expected to take to the streets tomorrow. It’s still not clear where they will protest, but the general plan is to blockade the entrances to the city as well as key intersections. The protests could continue for days, as Sloboda Prevoz demands a meeting with city authorities.

Arsovska enraged the private bus companies earlier this week when she claimed that they engaged in crime involving the sale of tickets. The companies responded that the sale of tickets is entirely in the hands of the city ran public JSP company.