Sofia is not the same after the last local elections last year and many residents see it. The municipality no longer has the media comfort from previous years, the citizens are much more proactive and demanding and the local authorities make mistakes one after another. The long repeated mantra that the subway is resolving all transport issues of the city is cracking and quickly proving wrong. Tramlines in the most polluted EU capital are being removed permanently making more space for cars. Residents from several neighbourhoods are protesting against municipality’s wrong policy in urban planning. It will be an interesting 2017 year.

A protest against the removal of a tramline in the centre of Sofia

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