Poll Gives Gruevski a Post-Election Boost

A “Political Barometer” carried out in September showed 42 per cent of the respondents said their country was heading in the right direction.

This was 14 per cent up from April, before the start of the general election, which Nikola Gruevski's VMRO DPMNE party won, albeit with a reduced majority.

By contrast, 49 per cent of respondents that they were not happy, 15 per cent down on the figure in April.

On a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the best score, Gruevski's government scored 2.78, up from 2.44 points in April.

Gruevski’s VMRO DPMNE party has been in power since 2006. The June elections were third general election won by the party.

Brima Gallup carried out the poll on some 1,100 people, a representative sample of the population.

Skopje sociology professor Ilija Aceski says the results indicate an atmosphere of post-election optimism.

“It was to be expected that more people would incline towards the winning party after the elections because people tend to identify with the winner," he said.

He said the arrival of major new foreign investors after the polls and the euphoria created around the grand celebrations of September 8, marking the 20th anniversary of Macedonian independence, had contributed to a mood of optimism.

But he fears the mood “is based more on emotions than on real improvements” and may wear off soon.

In July the US-based electronic components manufacturer KEMET started building a factory near Skopje. In August Russia's Prodis, part of the pharmaceutical giant Protek Group, also kicked off a new investment plant as well as India's Samvardhana Motherson Group, SMG.

Later that month, the government confirmed that the car parts manufacturer Johnson Controls was planning to build its second factory in the country.

As part of the independence day celebrations in September, the government threw a grand party in Skopje.

A new museum dedicated to Macedonia’s struggle for independence was opened, as were a 24-metre-high statue of the ancient warrior Alexander the Great and a triumphal arch in the centre of Skopje. At the same time, a new terminal was opened at Skopje’s Alexander the Great airport.