Poll: Opposition Gaining on Macedonia Ruling Party

According to the poll carried out in December by the Ljubljana-based Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies, IFIMES, the Social Democrats are on 19.2 per cent as opposed to VMRO DPMNE, on 22.1 per cent.

The survey is the first since 2006, when VMRO DPMNE took power, to place the opposition party so close to its rival. Most polls in recent years have shown the ruling party on nearly double the support of the Social Democrats.

According to IFIMES, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, the junior party in the government, is still the most popular ethnic Albanian party. The poll showed its support on 8.2 per cent.

The opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, had the support of only 3.1 per cent. Another opposition Albanian party, New Democracy, ND, had 1.9 per cent.

The poll showed 1.3 per cent of voters opted for the right-wing opposition United for Macedonia party.

The poll conducted from December 20-25 included 1,204 respondents, a representative sample of the Macedonian population.

On the same day that the survey was published, on Tuesday, the Skopje-based Institute Dimitrija Cupovski, which is close to the ruling party, produced very different polling data.

Their survey said that VMRO DPMNE enjoyed the support of over 23 per cent of those polled, while the Social Democrats trailed behind on 11 per cent.

The Social Democrats stepped up calls for early general elections in December but the ruling party rejected the proposal. 
The next regular general elections are not due in Macedonia until the first half of 2012.