site.btaSofia Mayor, Bulgarian Commissioner and PM Borissov Are Most Approved Politicians in February - Poll

Sofia Mayor, Bulgarian Commissioner and PM Borissov Are Most Approved Politicians in February - Poll

Sofia, March 7 (BTA) - Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Kristalina Georgieva and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov rank as the first three approved Bulgarian politicians, according to a national representative survey conducted by Exacta Research Group among 1,000 respondents between February 16 and 24 and made public Monday.

Fandakova has 62 per cent approval, Georgieva - 55 per cent and Borissov - 45 per cent.

February's top ten also include Regional Development Minister Lilyana Pavlova (44 per cent), Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Economic Policies Tomislav Donchev (36 per cent), Deputy PM and Social Minister Ivaylo Kalfin (35 per cent), Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov and Health Minister Peter Moskov with 36 per cent each, President Rosen Plevneliev (31 per cent) and Movement 21 head Tatyana Doncheva (31 per cent).

The survey registered a decline of public confidence in the main state institutions. It is yet to be known whether this is a result of temporary accumulation of unfavourable circumstances or there is a more durable negative trend, the social scientists say.

In their opinion, what has suffered most is the public image of the prosecution and the court. The prosecution and the court are approved by 7 per cent and the Prosecutor General - by 14 per cent. Disapproval of the prosecution has increased by 13 per cent and that of the court by 12 per cent in the last five months.

In February, the police was approved by 32 per cent and the army - by 28 per cent of the respondents. In the last five months, the army has lost 9 per cent approval for its operation and the police - 8 per cent.

In respect to the defence and law enforcement establishments it should be born in mind that the attitude to them is influenced not only by domestic factors but also by external ones such as the Syrian crisis and the refugee flow, Exacta specified.

Approval of Parliament has shrunk by nearly 9 per cent in the last five months. The National Assembly is approved by 13 per cent of the respondents while 77 per cent disapprove.

The President has 31 per cent approval, which means that another 11 per cent disapproval have been added in the past five months.


The work of the government is approved by 28 per cent, while disapproval amounts to 60 per cent. In February the government lost 7 per cent approval compared to September 2015 when the highest rating of the cabinet in the past year was recorded on the eve of the local elections, the social scientists say.

The government enjoys a high degree of approval among the traditional GERB electorate: young and affluent people, as well as citizens of the regional centres. Seventy per cent of GERB voters support the government, while extremely negative attitudes to the cabinet were registered among Bulgarian Socialist Party voters.

Twenty-six per cent of Bulgarians simultaneously approve the work of the Prime Minister and of the cabinet. This share is due to the good opinion of the work of the PM rather than of that of the government, inasmuch as Borissov's rating is 17 points above that of the latter, Exacta said.

According to Bulgarians, things are improving mainly in two directions: in respect to transport and in respect to the absorption of EU funds. Work in the sphere of regional development has also received relatively good rating. In the past year, 59 per cent of the respondents said that the standard of living remains the most problematic. The situation in justice, health care and education is also worsening.

Exacta has registered an increase of support for the work of National Ombudsman Maya Manolova. Her approval rating (27.2 per cent) has risen by 6 percentage points since the beginning of her mandate, while disapproval has dropped by 3 per cent.

Fandakova, Georgieva, Pavlova and Donchev are the politicians the approval of whose work is higher than disapproval.