More Macedonians Feel Country is Stable, Survey Shows

The number of Macedonians who see the political situation in the Balkan country as "peaceful and stable" rose from only 5 per cent in March to 44 per cent in August, a survey published on Monday by the International Republican Institute, IRI, an NGO, says.

"This development is likely linked to the recent formation of a new government after two years of bitter political conflict and uncertainty," IRI wrote in a press statement.

Zoran Zaev and his Social Democratic Union, SDSM, formed a government in May following months a political crisis which saw the former ruling VMRO DPMNE party refusing to cede power following the result of the December 11 election.

The formation of Zaev's cabinet ended two years of political turmoil revolving around claims that VMRO DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski had, as Prime Minister, orchestrated the illegal surveillance of over 20,000 people.

Gruevski has insisted that compromising tapes of officials' conversations, which the SDSM released in batches, were "created" by unnamed foreign intelligence services and given to the opposition to destabilise his government and the country.

The IRI research showed that the number of Macedonians who see the current situation as "intense and uncertain" fell from 62 per cent in March to 44 per cent in August, while the number of those who described situation in Macedonia as "critical and unstable" fell from 32 per cent in March to 10 per cent per cent.

"Whereas previous IRI polls reflected deep unease and pessimism over Macedonia's stability and trajectory, the results of this survey are highly encouraging," Jan Surotchak, IRI's Regional Director for Europe, wrote.

"The new government should recognize this as an opportunity to regain the trust of the people of...