Survey of Public Opinion in Macedonia

The survey used in-person, face-to-face methodology by trained professional interviewers and collected data from a nationally representative sample of 1,106 individuals. The sample was prepared using the State Statistical Office data from the 2002 census results, considering the structure of the population according to age, gender, education, type of housing, national affiliation, and region. The survey had an overall margin of error of plus or minus three percent at the midrange of the 95-percent confidence level. The survey focused on the current political situation in Macedonia, particularly the implementation of the Przino Agreement. The Przino Agreement was negotiated by the four largest Macedonian political parties in June and July 2015, under the auspices of European Union commissioner Johannes Hahn. The agreement laid out several steps, including the return of the Social Democratic Party of Macedonia (SDSM) to parliament, the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate allegations resulting from the wiretapping, and the resignation of the current government to be replaced by a caretaker government in January 2016. According to the survey, citizens in Macedonia remain skeptical about the parties' ability to implement the Przino Agreement. When asked if the Republic of Macedonia is more or less stable today than it was one year ago, 33% of respondents said it is less stable, while 23% said it is more stable, and 26% said it is the same. The survey also found that 50% of respondents described the current internal political situation in Macedonia as intense and uncertain, while 31% said it is peaceful and stable. The survey also asked about the support for SDSM's decision to return to Parliament, with 67% of respondents saying they support the decision. However, when asked if they think that the special prosecutor, Katica Janeva, will be able to investigate cases connected to the wiretapped conversations independently and without obstruction, 33% of respondents said yes, while 28% said no. The survey also found that 37% of respondents had heard the tapped phone conversations released by the opposition, while 43% said they had not heard most of them. The survey's findings suggest that citizens in Macedonia are skeptical about the parties' ability to implement the Przino Agreement and are concerned about the current political situation in the country. The survey's results also highlight the need for further investigation into the allegations resulting from the wiretapping and the importance of ensuring the independence and impartiality of the special prosecutor.