DISINFO: In all polls, Macedonians have rejected the agreement to rename the country and erase their national identity
SUMMARY
In all polls, Macedonians have overwhelmingly rejected the government’s agreement with Greece to rename their country and therefore erase their Macedonian ethnic and national identity, but particularly for the purposes of membership in NATO and the European Union under US dictate. The polls reveal that between 80 percent and 90 percent of Macedonians will boycott the referendum.
RESPONSE
The source of Sputnik’s polling data is not clear. Further debunking by the DFRLab: https://medium.com/dfrlab/electionwatch-sputnik-misleading-in-macedonia-bc8294aeebe2
International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights survey states that there are “increasing levels of optimism and support for joining the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ahead of the referendum.” The survey report stated:
A combined 57 percent “completely support” (37 percent) or “somewhat support” (20 percent) the proposal for Macedonia to join the EU and NATO under the new name “Republic of North Macedonia.” The same proportion (57 percent) believe that the benefits of accession justify the acceptance of the new name. Half of the respondents (49 percent) intend to vote in favor of resolving the name dispute, compared to 22 percent who intend to vote against the proposed change.