Two months after the tragic fire at the “Pulse” nightclub in Kočani, which claimed the lives of 62 young people, political leaders continue to avoid the city. According to experts, public anger, distrust in institutions, and demands for accountability may spill over into the local elections scheduled for October.
“The Kočani tragedy will mostly impact the ruling parties, because citizens typically associate the state of the country with those in power,” said communications expert Petar Arsovski in a statement to Radio Free Europe (RFE).
The fire, which broke out on March 15, revealed serious systemic failures — the venue was operating with a forged permit, lacked fire alarms, and had no emergency exits. Immediately after the incident, Prime Minister and VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski made an unannounced visit to Kočani, while SDSM leader Venko Filipče met with victims’ families but did not travel to the city.
“Responsibility is shared. The entire political spectrum is involved in building a system that allows such tragedies,” said analyst Xhelal Neziri. “Still, the government managed the aftermath relatively well, which may have softened the negative political impact on the ruling parties. On the other hand, the opposition remained constructive and did not exploit the tragedy for political gain or organize protests that could damage the government’s current approval rating,” added Neziri.
So far, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has charged 68 individuals and three legal entities. However, no officials have resigned, fueling public frustration. Thousands have protested in Skopje and Kočani, demanding accountability and impartial justice.
According to Arsovski, it remains unclear whether this discontent will translate into electoral punishment or drift into apathy. “What’s missing is a vision for how to prevent such tragedies in the future. That will be key in determining the election outcome,” he added.
Neziri also noted that the tragedy reopened wounds from previous unresolved disasters, such as the “Besa Trans” and “Durmo Tours” bus crashes, and the fire in the modular hospital in Tetovo. He expects the resulting apathy could create opportunities for independent candidates.
“This especially affects DUI, which has been in power at various times, and VLEN, which oversees the Ministry of Economy and includes officials indirectly responsible for what happened in Kočani,” said Neziri.
The exact date of the local elections has not yet been officially confirmed, but according to announcements, they are expected in October. Major parties have already stated they will begin announcing mayoral candidates by the end of May.
