site.btaExacta Pollsters: GERB Supported by 25.1%, Socialists by 12.2%

Exacta Pollsters: GERB Supported by 25.1%, Socialists by 12.2%

Sofia, April 21 (BTA) - If parliamentary elections were held
now, the GERB party would garner 25.1 per cent of the vote and
the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) 12.2 per cent, according to
a nationally representative poll of Exacta Research Group
between April 1 and 9.

Another 7.5 per cent would vote for the Movement for Rights, 5.5
 per cent for the Reformist Bloc, 5 per cent for the Patriotic
Front, 3 per cent for Ataka and 2.5 per cent for ABV.

If elections were held now, the current party representation in
the National Assembly would be reproduced but without Bulgaria
without Censorship. 

The popularity of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has
increased slightly - by 1 per cent - since the party's congress.
 The approval of BSP leader Mihail Mikov remains unchanged at 16
 per cent.   

The poll shows that Velizar Enchev, who recently established the
 Bulgarian Spring Party, has an approval of 15 per cent in
April, as it is mostly followers of Ataka, BSP and ABV that show
 an interest in Enchev's formation.   
 
Pollsters note that the data have been gathered outside the
context of real elections and are rather aimed to provide an
orientation for the political affiliations that a forecast for
an election results.  

 According to the results of the poll, 37 per cent of the
Bulgarians say that are optimistic about the country's future
and 44 per cent point out that they are optimistic about their
own future.

Thirty-six per cent of the Bulgarians hold the opinion that
during his second term as Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has been
 performing better than during his first term in office.  

Twenty-one per cent hold the opinion that now Borissov performs
worse, while 43 per cent cannot give a judgment. The negative
assessment of the work of the incumbent government outweghs the
positive opinions (54 per cent against 32 per cent).

However, the interviewed point out that during the current term
Borissov is more tolerant, experienced and restrained. GERB's
opening to a higher number of coalition partners also gets an
approval, as well as the review of the priorities of governance
as from the firs term. The efforts in the areas of social
policy, healthcare and the fight against corruption are well
accepted. Borissov's second term is accepted as more successful
compared to the first one by the followers of GERB and its
coalition partners. At the same time, the followers of BSP and
Ataka consider that now Borissov performs worse than during his
first term as Prime Minister.

The assessment of the Cabinet's performance does not change
considerably during the past two months: it is 31 per cent and
32 per cent in March and April, respectively. The disapproval of
 the Government drops by 1 per cent from March to April reaching
 54 per cent.

The negative assessments of Parliament's performance are almost
three-fold higher than the positive ones: from 63 per cent to 22
 per cent. The approval of the National Assembly increases by
per cent, while the disapproval drops from 67 per cent to 63 per
 cent.

In April approval of the work of National Assembly Chairperson
Tsetska Tsacheva increases by 1 per cent to 29 per cent.
Approval of the Prime Minister's work stands at 44 per cent,
while disapproval remains unchanged from March at 45 per cent.

President Rosen Plevneliev is approved by 36 per cent of the
Bulgarians, 3 per cent less than in March. The drop is mainly
attributed to the negative opinions of the people living in
regional centres, the youngest as well as the eldest voters.
Such opinions mostly come from voters of the BSP, Ataka and the
Patriotic Front.

Regional Development and Public Works Minister Lilyana Pavlova
has the highest approval rating, 53 per cent, five per cent
higher than in March. The second most liked cabinet member is
Health Minister Peter Moskov whose approval rating of 49 per
cent remains unchanged from March. The third most liked minister
 is Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivailo Kalfin with 43 per
cent, 3 per cent more than in March.

Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov's recent initiatives earn him
increasing approval ratings which grew by another 6 per cent in
April. The approval ratings of Sports Minister Krassen Kralev
too increase by 5 per cent. The approval ratings increase
between 4 and 5 per cent also of Interior Minister Roumyana
Buchvarova, Agriculture Minister Dessislava Taneva and
Environment and Water Minister Ivelina Vassileva.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova is the most approved Bulgarian
politician besides the heads of government institutions and the
cabinet ministers. Her approval rating increases by 9 per cent
to 64 per cent in April

Exacta's experts report a certain change from March in people's
assessments of the work of the parliamentary floor leaders. The
approval ratings increase the most, by 5 per cent to 25 per
cent, of Patriotic Front co-floor leader Valeri Simeonov. The
other co-floor leader of the formation, Krassimir Karakachanov,
too increases his approval ratings by 4 per cent to 27 per cent.
 

Floor leaders Tsvetan Tsventanov of GERB and Radan Kanev of the
Reformist Bloc have approval ratings of 21 per cent each,
unchanged from March. Unchanged also remain the approval ratings
 of BSP leader Mihail Mikov who is liked by 16 per cent of the
respondents. Ataka party leader Volen Siderov doubles his
approval to 12 per cent.

The survey revealed also high approval ratings of the Bulgarian
Orthodox Church compared to other state institutions, 51 per
cent. Patriarch Neophyte is approved by 49 per cent of the
respondents. The armed forces and the police keep their approval
 ratings from March, 35 per cent each.