site.bta61% of Bulgarians Consider Upcoming Elections Very Important

61% of Bulgarians Consider Upcoming Elections Very Important

Sofia, September 27 (BTA) - According to 61 per cent of Bulgarians, the upcoming presidential elections are very important for this country, shows a representative survey of the Exacta Research Group. The survey covered 1,000 people in 89 settlements and was carried out between September 5 and 12.

The respondents, who gave this answer, represented mostly GERB, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the Patriotic Front. However, only 38 per cent consider that the elections are very important for them personally, which does not give grounds to expect high turnout, according to pollsters.

Slightly over 50 per cent of the eligible voters, who took part in the poll, said they will go to the polls. Around 40 per cent said they will also participate in the referendum, which will take place parallel to the presidential vote.

It is mostly villagers and elderly people who said they would go to the polls, while the share of capital residents, who would cast their vote in the presidential elections, was the least.

51 per cent said that the yet-unknown GERB candidate is the likeliest winner in the elections. This opinion is expressed mostly by people aged 30 to 60, highly educated people and people of higher standard of living. 92 per cent of the GERB followers believe in the success of their candidate.

The pollsters noted the mobilization of the hard-core supporters of the main political parties.

Party preferences are guiding in the selection of a favourite candidate. Two thirds of the interviewed said they would vote for the candidate of the party, which they support. Such answer was given mostly by followers of the BSP, GERB, the Patriotic Front and the Reformist Bloc.

According to 39 per cent, the refugee issue would influence the elections.

The popularity rating of the presidential candidates is also measured but the analysts note that since not all parties have nominated their candidates yet a reliable rating can be presented only after the beginning of the election campaign.

Ivailo Kalfin is the Left candidate with the highest support - 35 per cent, followed by Tatyana Doncheva with 27 per cent and Roumen Radev with 25 per cent.

On September 12 General Radev was approved by 25 per cent of the Bulgarians and by 70 per cent of the BSP electorate. Exacta specified it is important to bear in mind Kalfin's nomination was not announced and Tatyana Doncheva was nominated officially only around the end of the field work on the survey.

Kornelia Ninova's decision to cease negotiations with ABV for a joint nomination for the presidential elections is approved by 43 per cent of the socialists, while 36 per cent do not approve. Two-thirds of ABV's electorate do not accept Ninova's decision.
Doncheva is approved by 27 per cent of Bulgarians, mostly by supporters of Movement 21, ABV and BSP.

Reformist Bloc's candidate Traicho Traikov is approved by 16 per cent of Bulgarians and three-fourths of the bloc's electorate.

Krassimir Karakachanov is approved by 33 per cent of Bulgarians. In his capacity of presidential candidate, Karakachanov is approved by 76 per cent of the Patriotic Front electorate and by 56 per cent of Ataka's electorate.

The data about electoral attitudes show that GERB is the first political force, which 25.4 per cent of voters support. BSP is second with an electoral share of 15.3 per cent and the Reformist Bloc is third with 6 per cent. The MRF and the Patriotic Front each have 4.5 per cent, while ABV receives 3 per cent of the vote of all voters. With such electoral results these formations would enter parliament if general elections were held in the beginning of September.

Over the last six months, Exacta has observed stabilization and even a slight increase of approval for the main state institutions and leading politicians. At September 12, the work of the government was approved by 33 per cent and that of Parliament - by 18 per cent.

Against the backdrop of people's increasing anxiety related to security on both national and personal scale, there is an increase of respect for the police and the army. Yet again, the court is the institution with the least approval.

In the last six months the work of the Prime Minister has won 4 percentage points of approval and at the moment approval for Boyko Borissov is higher (48 per cent) than disapproval (42 per cent).

The most approved ministers are Lilyana Pavlova (47 per cent), Tomislav Donchev (42 per cent) and Vezhdi Rashidov (40 per cent).

The top ten most approved public figures in September are Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova (67 per cent), Kristalina Georgieva (53 per cent), Boyko Borissov (48 per cent), Lilyana Pavlova (47 per cent), Maya Manolova (43 per cent), Tomislav Donchev (42 per cent), Krassen Kralev (39 per cent), Ivaylo Kalfin (35 per cent) and Krassimir Karakachanov (33 per cent).

Tsvetan Tsvetanov and Valeri Simeonov are the most approved floor leaders (for 29 per cent of Bulgarians), while Kornelia Ninova is approved by 26 per cent.