A poll conducted by the Axios agency shows that VMRO-DPMNE maintains a solid lead ahead of SDSM, with 27.8 percent against 23.3 percent. Given the first-pass-the-post nature of the mayoral races in the local elections, this could translate in a major victory for the opposition.

The poll also shows the ethnic Albanian opposition parties, AA and Alternative, doing slightly better than DUI, with 6.3 percent against 6.1 percent of the votes.

The poll also asked the voters about the elections slogans of the two main competitors. Asked whether “SDSM are the best” – as their slogan declares, only 10.7 percent agreed with the statement, while an overwhelming majority of 78.1 percent disagreed. On the other hand, 59.3 percent agreed with the VMRO-DPMNE slogan that Macedonia needs to build “a new future”, and only 20.8 percent disagreed.

The poll also showed that 38.6 percent found that VMRO-DPMNE is closer to their values, while only 27.4 percent chose SDSM.