Skopje, 27 August 2025 (MIA) - At a press conference Wednesday, the Independents Together civic platform promoted Goran Markovski, professor and dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, as independent candidate for mayor of Skopje ahead of October’s local elections.

According to Markovski, the country’s capital needs a clear vision for its development, cohesion, responsibility, and competence.

"I am fully aware of the kind of society we live in, that our surrounding is still burdened by overwhelming partisan influence, but I am also convinced that without civic initiative, without personal independence, we cannot have a good democracy, healthy institutions, or a quality city," Markovski said. 

Markovski said tackling air pollution is one of the main priorities for Skopje, noting that he would present specific solutions during the campaign.

"Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury to talk about some high priorities. We need to talk about survival. Pollution in Skopje is problem number one and the top issue that must be resolved. But not just in words. That’s the difference between engineers and others. Engineers have a task and feel a responsibility to solve problems, not just to detect them. We solve problems," Markovski stressed. 

Independents Together said Professor Markovski is a person with proven professional integrity and many years of experience, having completed numerous projects and trained generations of engineers. “It’s time for Skopje to be governed by experts with bold leadership and a vision for a prettier city tailed to people’s needs,” the platform said.

Independents Together is a broad civic platform that unites independent council members and local initiatives from several Skopje municipalities – Chance for Centar; Greens for Gazi Baba; and Group 389. In addition to their candidate for mayor of Skopje, the platform has also promoted the former head of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, Biljana Ivanovska, as their candidate for mayor of the Municipality of Centar.

Photo: MIA