Ohrid public kitchen closed — poorest residents lose daily hot meal

The only daily hot meal available to the poorest residents of Ohrid has been suspended after the city’s public kitchen was closed for renovation of the kitchen facilities at the Student Dormitory "Nikola Karev". From today, people who hold a resolution from the Inter-municipal Center for Social Work Ohrid entitling them to one meal a day are left without that basic social service.

Allegations about procurement and appointments

According to information received by Levica, the former acting director Vesna Avramoska failed to carry out a public procurement for food supplies even though she had been notified that the contract with the Student Dormitory was expiring. That omission raises questions about her responsibility and the management of the Center.

Additional reports shared with Levica say Avramoska, who was a candidate for a municipal councillor on the DPMNE list in Ohrid at the last local elections, was ILLEGALLY appointed as acting director on a four-month probationary employment contract without an official decision on job placement. The same reports claim she could be reappointed as director despite being held primarily responsible for the kitchen’s closure.

Opposition demands are targeting Minister Gjoko Velkovski: they want answers about who will be held accountable for stopping the meals to the neediest, why a timely public procurement was not carried out, and whether there will be consequences for the alleged unlawful appointment — or whether incompetence will be rewarded with a director’s post.

The party also highlighted a family link: Avramoska is the sister of environmental inspector Igor Trajkovski, who “did not find” any shortcomings regarding the illegal construction–hotel linked to Mijalkov.

Levica is calling for an immediate investigation into the work of the Center for Social Work Ohrid and for food to be provided to all users of the public kitchen. As the party put it, "Social assistance must not become a partisan privilege, nor should the poorest citizens be victims of partisan incompetence!"

Photo: press material from the event