In the spring of 2021, IRI designed and commissioned qualitative research in North Macedonia to better understand citizens’ views of their local and national government ahead of the October 2021 local elections. IRI uses FGDs to complement its public opinion surveys and to understand how and why citizens hold their perceptions and beliefs. The focus of this particular study was on the specific issues and challenges in participants’ municipalities, the work and behavior of their mayor, the municipal council and the municipal administration, the work of the government and the opposition, the country’s direction, and the EU integration process.
