After a series of polls showing VMRO-DPMNE with a solid lead over SDSM, especially among ethnic Macedonians, a new poll today commissioned by the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation and the Institute of Democracy through the M – Prospect ratings agency, shows SDSM in the lead by two points.

The publication of the poll comes shortly after Republika revealed that SDSM is planning to use pollsters and organizations close to the party to publish “massaged” polls, following the series of badly damaging ones. After SDSM was revealed to be behind VMRO-DPMNE, the outgoing Prime Minister Zoran Zaev even started to publicly discussing that he may give up on the elections and will refuse to resign, as agreed, on January 3rd. This move demoralized SDSM even further, so an outlier poll showing that SDSM has overtaken VMRO may be just what the doctor ordered to keep the spirits of SDSM supporters up in the coming weeks.

The M-Prospect poll is all that stranger if e consider that it was done at a time when SDSM faces almost daily new corruption scandals. Even the most stalwart supporters of the ruling party have given up on its signature promise to deliver “justice and the rule of law”. The main promised trade-off following the humiliating name change – that Macedonia will be allowed to open EU accession talks, was denied to the country by a French veto.

All the possible pressures on the agency to massage the numbers aside, the poll still shows SDSM leader Zaev dropping sharply at 16.5 percent, losing a quarter of his personal support compared to the last poll. VMRO leader Hristijan Mickoski is still portrayed as behind Zaev’s personal rating, but gaining quickly and is ranked at 14.2 percent.