Citizens of Macedonia give Parliament an average score of 2.7 out of 5 - close to a failing grade by the school grading system. The result comes from an analysis by the "Societas Civilis" Institute for Democracy, conducted between 27 February and 10 March 2026, on a sample of 1,002 adult citizens, with a margin of error of plus-minus 3 percent.

The numbers are damning. 74 percent of citizens believe MPs represent personal interests. 66 percent say MPs follow the narrow party interests of their leadership. 56 percent link them to business interests. And only 9 percent think MPs actually represent the interests of all citizens. That is below the level at which any functional democracy can operate.

Another striking finding: 21 percent believe the Government has complete control over Parliament, while only 3 percent think Parliament adequately oversees the executive. That is the opposite of what the Constitution describes. Even more uncomfortable: 61 percent of respondents cannot identify their own MP from their electoral district. How exactly are they supposed to vote with any knowledge?

The slight improvement is symbolic - 2.7 in 2026 against 2.5 in 2025 and 2.3 in 2024. Growth by a "half-tone". On the other side, 42 percent said they were dissatisfied with how Parliament handled the issue of the Kocani tragedy - the event remembered as the most defining parliamentary moment of 2025 (cited by 31% of respondents). The institution is perceived as "a stage for party conflict", not a place where real work for citizens gets done. That is a diagnosis, not an opinion.