Although he has been largely managing the capital for four years, Aleksandar Šapić has been on the defensive in the media for two years: he speaks at media conferences once every two months, he does not attend sessions of the city parliament, and he rarely gives interviews. And then he decided to enter the media underground, which lasted 34 days. Cameras, microphones, responding to journalists and citizens he temporarily "hung on a peg" on December 25, 2025, when in the company of the president of the state he toured the works on the new Sava, that is, "Serbian" bridge, as he named it himself. His return to the public took place on January 28, when Šapić appeared at the celebration of the City Museum Belgrade. In the meantime, the capital was "drowning" in pollution, snow, ice, potholes, and collapsing buildings.
SNOW FELL AND MELTED - MAYOR OF NOWHERE
The mentioned December 25 and the conversation with the President of the State was, it will turn out, the last appearance of the mayor of Belgrade in the year behind us. After that, there were no New Year's cocktails, no receptions for citizens, and no opening of infrastructure projects. Simply, the first man of the city disappeared from the public sphere. Apart from a few occasional holiday greetings, he didn't stand out too much. And the problems continued.
During his silence snowy a cover of a modest 20 centimeters managed to create a complete collapse in the capital. Citizens and opposition politicians documented buses without winter tires, uncleaned streets, ice on which vehicles and pedestrians were sliding, as well as the complete disorganization of public companies. During that time, Šapić was nowhere to be found, and there were no answers to the questions why the city of almost two million souls had not prepared for the winter days. Just when the citizens of Belgrade were getting used to the snow, it began to melt, but not before another city precedent.
ICE ON THE STAIRS "ARENA"
After several years, Serbia was entrusted with the organization of the most elite water polo event - the European Championship. This sporting event, although followed throughout the Old Continent, the mayor of Belgrade and former water polo ace did not visit for a single moment. That's why he couldn't even see the collapse on the ice-covered steps of the "Arena" where the visitors stoically tried to keep their balance so as not to fall and end up in the Emergency Center. The government was mostly silent about it, but the opposition had a lot to say. Savo Manojlović, head of the Kreni-premeni committee group in Assembly of the City of Belgrade, said that Belgrade functions chaotically and is systematically failing. "When the city needs a host, Šapić is not there. It even seems that SNS is hiding him, that it is ashamed of him", says Manojlović for "Vreme".
According to him, on RTS, instead of the mayor, the president of the City Assembly, Nikola Nikodijević from the SPS, represents executive decisions. Manojlović also points out that in the city parliament, Siniša Mali still acts as a city councilor even though he is a minister. "It is contrary Constitution. You cannot be a councilor and a minister at the same time. SNS thereby directly violates the Constitution, and Mali practically stands as a kind of 'nanny' to Šapić and a potential replacement for the mayor", our interlocutor is clear.
CITY CENTER "INVISIBLE" FOR THE MAYOR
Although Mayor Šapić's office is in the very center of Belgrade, near Nikola Pašić Square and the National Assembly, it seems that the events in the city center are under the radar of the executive city authorities. There, directly under his window, since March last year, there has been a tent camp mostly inhabited by unknown people. Apart from the statement that he is "against all blockades", Šapić never condemned the destruction of a protected park where SNS supporters and people from the criminal milieu still gather. It is striking that the mayor, although a supporter of the thesis that Belgrade should live on roundabouts, one of which is located right between the Assembly and his office, did not organize their official opening. However, Šapić's absence from the sessions of the City Assembly on November 28, 2024, when he solemnly declared in front of the cameras that he would no longer attend them, is a much more serious indicator of a lack of responsibility. Not only the representatives of the opposition and the media were left without the opportunity to ask questions and get answers about the functioning of the capital, but also the citizens of Belgrade themselves. As he announced, his chair in the ceremonial hall will remain empty in the coming period.
WHO GOVERNS BELGRADE?
The crisis of an empty chair in the "Belgrade way" does not reflect directly on the functioning of the city, but it is a significant indicator of political currents in the capital. Member of the National Movement of Serbia Miloš Pavlović claims that this is Šapić's modus operandi and that there are several reasons for his absences.
"It is not uncommon for Šapić to be absent from the public for a month, but this time he did not even deign to appear and share the pain with the people of Belgrade when there was a snow collapse. He cannot understand that he is the mayor of all the citizens of the capital, not only those who voted for him. On the other hand, he is not there because he is only formally the mayor. In a practical sense, Luka Petrović, the city's secretary for investments, performs that function," claimed Pavlović for "Vreme" and added that Šapić is solely controlled by the Secretariat for Public transport and traffic, where it is the only one with decision-making power, while in others it has no essential competence. "Sapić explained that he has nothing to discuss with the councilors, nor is he accountable to the citizens, and that we are not on his intellectual level. Belgrade simply does not function with or without him," concludes the head of the NPS committee group in the City Assembly.
OMERTA AND WHEN BUILDINGS CALL
That things are not working in the city was also evident during the last weekend in January when part of a construction site and a building on George Washington Street collapsed. It is certain that this is not the direct responsibility of the former leader of the SPAS party, which merged into the SNS, but once again the leader's reactions were absent. There were no worn-out phrases that the institutions were doing their job, nor that the punishments would be harsher, and there was no mention of a visit to the disputed location.
According to the Law on Prevention of Corruption, public officials are obliged to perform their duties conscientiously and responsibly, building the trust of citizens. Although it is difficult to find a unit of measurement that calculates the degree of trust building towards the executive power, at least not before the elections, it is quite certain that the decision of the public official Šapić not to come to the Town Meetings and not to make statements to the media is not a good way, nor a sign that the law is respected. Part of the public ironically points out that even Bogdan Ilić, far better known as the influencer of Grandma Pig, has appeared in the media more times than Šapić. The director of the Center for Local Self-Government, Nikola Jovanović, estimates that it is possible that the mayor has come to terms with the fact that he was written off, but indicates that it would be more honorable to resign.
"Nonetheless, everything is not so dark - Barcelona is leading in the Primera. Joking aside, the devil took the joke away. Belgrade is falling apart, except for the roundabouts, everything is abnormally late. The city is dirty and disorganized, and there is no money for key projects. I invited Mr. Šapić to have a public debate about the state of the city, but instead of understanding it as a straw of salvation - he understands the invitation as a provocation. God regrets the lost time and money. It has to be different. We are soon publishing the White Book of Crime and Corruption, as well as the Belgrade 365 plan. There are solutions, but new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins", Jovanović is clear.
IMF AS THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES
It remains an open question with which wine the city budget will be filled, that is, from which funds Belgrade will develop its infrastructure in the future. This, among other things, will be analyzed and proposed by the auditors hired by the mission of the International Monetary Fund. By August, a precise financial "blood picture" of failed and indebted companies, which are already known to be at the limit of liquidity, will be determined. It will be an introduction to the preparation of the national budget, when it will be known how much money the state will have to transfer to the city in order to survive. Then we should find out how much was spent and whether, in the coming period, the government will give the same people the opportunity to make an account again without the innkeepers of all Belgraders.
