site.btaTop Two Parties' Rating Gap Basically Unchanged since Elections

Sofia, November 22 (BTA) - Eight months after the latest snap parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, the gap in the ratings of the top two political parties is perfectly comparable to the election results which they achieved in March, the Trend Research Centre found in a recent poll.

GERB has retained its leading position, being supported by 21.2 per cent of all respondents in the poll, followed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) with 17.8 per cent. The scandals over the last eight months have not affected electoral moods in any major way, Trend commented. The bitter confrontation between the two main parties has consolidated and mobilized their respective electorates.

Nor is there any major decline in public support for the United Patriots, despite their participation in the ruling majority and the executive branch of government. The gap between the approval ratings of the United Patriots (5.4 per cent) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (6.3 per cent) is too narrow to warrant a categorical prediction about which of the two entities would be the third-major force in possible elections now, the pollsters said.

Vesselin Mareshki's Volya party has recorded a drop in its rating compared with the months prior to the elections. It now receives 1.8 per cent support from all respondents. The fall is logical, mainly because in the run-up to the elections Mareshki enjoyed the benefit of being the new player on the pitch.

With an equal score of 1.8 per cent, the Reformist Bloc has retained its momentum, the poll shows. In the case of Yes, Bulgaria! (1.4 per cent) and the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB, 1.1 per cent), there is no tangible change. The poll was conducted before the launch of the Bulgarian Manifesto for Europe, an initiative of the DSB and Yes, Bulgaria!, the agency noted.

Some 37 per cent of interviewees say they would not vote in possible elections now.

Half of Bulgarians (52 per cent) are optimistic about the country's development, and another 39 per cent are pessimistic, according to the survey. The findings indicate a clear correlation between optimistic moods and people's age. With younger people, optimism is strongly prevalent, but its share gradually decreases as age goes up. The majority in the over-70 age group are pessimists and only one in three is an optimist.

As usual, the National Assembly is the least liked public institution, with 23 per cent approval and 68 per cent disapproval.

The Government's rating is higher, primarily because the supporters of GERB and the United Patriots are more inclined to give positive marks for its performance, Trend said.

The Presidency's approval rating is high, at 64 per cent, against only 22 per cent disapproval. This is largely due to the predominantly positive attitude towards the personality of the incumbent President Rumen Radev.

Low public confidence in the Judiciary is the main reason for the low approval rating of the courts and the prosecution service, which stands at a little over 20 per cent.

The Armed Forces and the Police enjoy higher ratings, which is normal.

The high rating of the National Ombudsman is particularly noteworthy. Maya Manolova's actions over the last two years have had a positive impact on public perceptions of the institution's performance.

About 46 per cent of Bulgarians expect the Government to serve out its full four-year term in office until 2021, but another 32 per cent do not think so. GERB's supporters are most confident about that, while those backing the BSP tend to think the opposite.

Individual political leaders have basically retained their ratings over the last eight months. President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov are still the most liked leaders, with approval ratings of 67 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively.

BSP Chair Kornelia Ninova has 28 per cent approval, most of which comes from BSP enthusiasts. It is difficult for Ninova to rally much support from the periphery.

Among the co-leaders of the United Patriots, Krassimir Karakachanov remains the most liked figure with an approval rating of 34 per cent. Valeri Simeonov comes next with 20 per cent, and Volen Siderov with 13 per cent.

Approval of Vesselin Mareshki, the leader of Volya, remains at a fine level of 30 per cent, but the age structure of his support base has changed. In the past, Mareshki's approval rating was notably higher with younger people, but the current survey shows practically identical levels for all age groups.

This is the first part of the poll conducted by the Trend Research Centre. The poll was carried out among 1,005 respondents between November 3 and 12 and is representative for Bulgaria's adult population. It was commissioned by the "24 Chassa" daily under a new joint project to survey the opinions of the Bulgarian people about political and public matters.