
A new poll conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) Polling Research Center in Northern Macedonia shows growing Chinese and Russian influence, lack of transparency in political parties and support for the Open Balkans Initiative, according to The Geopost.
In foreign policy, 64% of the citizens of Northern Macedonia agree that strong relations with China best serve their interests. Sixty percent think the same about Russia. This represents an eleven percent increase for China and a six percent increase for Russia from the survey conducted in February 2020.
The newly published poll also shows strong support for the European Union (EU) and the United States. Overall, 85% agree that Northern Macedonia’s interests are best served by strong relations with the EU, and 76% agree that this applies to the United States.
“As Northern Macedonia strives to make democratic progress, it is worrying that China and Russia continue to make sustained penetrations,” said Paul McCarthy, IRI Regional Director for Europe. “Fortunately, support for close partnerships with the EU and the United States remains very strong.”
Finally, 75% of adults support the Open Balkans Initiative, a series of agreements involving Albania, Northern Macedonia and Serbia to help facilitate trade, business and the movement of citizens between countries.
IRI states that the survey was conducted before the occupation of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
The survey was conducted on behalf of the IRI Survey Research Center by the Brimacan market research company (part of the KANTAR group and a member of the Gallup International Association). Data were collected from November 27 to December 23, 2021, using a multi-scale stratified sampling method through in-house personal interviews. The size of the national representative sample was 1,226 respondents, aged 18 and older. Data were analyzed by age, gender, region and ethnicity. The margin of error was ± 2.8 points at the 95% confidence level. The response rate was 75%.