site.btaGovernment Strengthens Position in April-May - Poll

Sofia, May 16 (BTA) - The government managed to strengthen its position in the past two months, according to a Mediana poll into political perceptions in the country.

Pessimism about the country's future and disillusionment with the government continue to be among the predominant perceptions but in two months they dropped by 4 per cent.

This is due to the Bulgarian presidency of the EU Council and the hope that the country can benefit from it (optimism rose by 11 per cent).

The stabilization of the government is probably due to Bulgaria's moderate position on the poisoning of Sergei Skripal (as little as 5 per cent of Bulgarians think that Bulgaria should have expelled Russian diplomats), and the steps taken to reconsider a moratorium on the construction of the Belene N-plant. Fifty-four per cent of respondents favour the construction, while 14 per cent are against.

The approval ratings of the cabinet rose from 3.35 in March to 3.44 in May.

Despite pessimism and lack of confidence in the government, there is no willingness to change the government. Twenty-six per cent of respondents want snap elections and 46 per cent want the government to serve out its term.

GERB managed to reverse a recent trend of their main political rival catching up. Currently GERB leads on the Bulgarian Socialist Party by 3.2 per cent. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms and United Patriots will make the 4 per cent barrier to the legislature in case of snap elections, whereas ABV and Volya will garner between 2 and 4 per cent.