site.btaMajority of Bulgarians Want Parties to Turn Their Back to Differences During EU Presidency - Opinion Poll

Sofia, January 23 (BTA) - A majority of 67 per cent agree that during the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council parties should turn their back to differences, show the results from an opinion poll conducted by BBSS Gallup International among 801 Bulgarians between January 15 and 16.

According to the poll, 65 per cent of respondents have already heard about publications in Western European media, and 82 per cent of these persons agree with the publications on Bulgaria being a poor and corrupt country. The Bulgarian EU Presidency will obviously not succeed in diverting the attention from the serious public problems, just like previous opinion polls on the matter showed, the pollsters commented.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents agree, 40 per cent disagree and the rest are unsure of their opinion on the statement that democracy in Bulgaria is threatened at the moment.

Against the background of various protests over the last weeks, 38 per cent are ready and 60 per cent are not, to join some form of protest on the current topics. These 38 per cent are some 2 million Bulgarians who share a serious criticism to the status quo. Despite being a minority, they are a clear sign that public tension remains valid even against the background of the solemn opening of the Bulgarian EU Presidency, the pollsters commented.

Also pointing to the presence of tension is the fact that 50 per cent agree that the murder cases of the last weeks are rather related to politics, as opposed to 37 per cent who disagree and 13 per cent who are unsure of their opinion on the matter.

The topics raised by the Government and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in the last days cause rather contradictory public reactions. For example, 49 per cent agree and 42 per cent disagree with Bulgaria helping Turkey to improve its relations with the EU. Similarly to the results from previous surveys, the poll shows that the possibility of Bulgaria entering the Eurozone causes even more ambiguous opinions: 46 per cent approve and 48 per cent disapprove with the introduction of the euro.