Turkish president most admired leader in Western Balkans

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina

A survey conducted in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the most admired leader in the region.

The International Republican Institute's "Western Balkans Regional Survey" posed questions about the most important issues facing these countries, government priorities, and opinions on world and regional leaders.

Most participants identified "economic conditions and the cost of living" as their top concerns.

Erdogan led the survey in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

In Albania, 71% of the respondents viewed Erdogan favorably, followed by US President Joe Biden with 64% and Chinese President Xi Jinping with 14%.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 61% of the respondents favored Erdogan, while Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Biden and Chinese President Xi each received about 37%.

In Montenegro, Erdogan led with 56%, followed by Putin with 50% and Xi with 46%.

In North Macedonia, Erdogan was the most admired leader with 66%, followed by Putin with 49%, Biden with 37% and Xi with 35%.

In Serbia, Putin was the most admired leader with 80%, Xi was second with 73% and Erdogan third with 41%.

In Kosovo, Biden was the most admired leader with 85%, followed by Erdogan with 82%.

The survey included 1,216 respondents from Albania, 1,225 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1,220 from North Macedonia, 1,036 from Montenegro, 1,238 from Serbia and 1,203 from Kosovo.