Just under 50 percent of eligible Macedonian voters support the agreement on their country’s name change agreed by Skopje and Athens in June, said a poll published by the International Republican Institute (IRI) on Wednesday.

The referendum on the name change linked to the European Union and NATO membership is scheduled for this autumn.

The poll carried by local media said that 49 percent say yes, 22 percent are against, while 16 percent say they will boycott the popular vote on the new country’s name North Macedonia, and 13 percent are still undecided or do not want to answer.

On the other hand, almost two thirds of Macedonians want the name dispute with Greece resolved, and will like Skopje to join both NATO, and the EU showed the IRI’s poll conducted from June 28 to July 15, covering 1,100 Macedonians.

The poll also showed a constant rise in general optimism and the perception of the national stability. For the first time in nine years, the percentage of those who see Macedonia more stable this than last year is higher than those with opposite opinion.

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