site.bta Public Awards Government 3.32 Points out of Six for First 100 Days - Survey

Public Awards Government 3.32 Points out of Six for First 100 Days  -Survey


Sofia, March 4 (BTA) - The public has awarded the first 100 days
 of the incumbent government 3.32 points out of a maximum of
six, a nationally representative survey of Mediana polling
agency shows. The survey was conducted among 998 respondents
between February 21 and March 1 and was presented by the
agency's Kolyo Kolev at a BTA-hosted news conference Wednesday.
  
The change of political power has not caused a turnaround in the
 deep pessimism about the country's future. According to
Mediana, 12 per cent of the respondents are optimistic, while
the pessimists are nearly four times more at 44 per cent.

This is the first time any of the last five regular governments
has seen such a high degree of pessimism and negativism at the
beginning of its term. Twenty-four per cent of the respondents
in the survey said the new government inspires confidence, while
 52 per cent said it is rather a disappointment; 19 per cent
believe it will succeed in improving the situation in the
country, 33 per cent say it will make things worse, and 35 per
cent say it will do neither.

Kolev commented that there are two groups of reasons for such
public attitudes. One is related to the economic crisis which
has faced many families with grave difficulties. According to
the survey, 59 per cent of the people save on clothes and shoes,
 21 per cent have stopped buying them altogether, 55 per cent
said they saved on food, 44 per cent think they will have to cut
 their costs even in the next quarter, and only one per cent
plan to loosen the strings of their wallets slightly. These
reasons are augmented by political factors like the loss of the
South Stream gas pipeline project, the foreign debt, the
developments in Ukraine and Bulgaria's position on them.
 
According to Kolev, Russia's image as an aggressor and the
United States and NATO as keepers of peace, justice and
democracy cannot withstand the criticism of public opinion. The
responsibility for the events in Ukraine is perceived to lie
much more with the States than with Russia, without the latter
being considered completely blameless, the sociologist said.
Respectively, the rising tension in the relations with Russia
fuels anti-NATO feelings. According to 33 per cent of the
interviewees, Bulgaria should leave the Alliance in the case of
a NATO-Russia conflict and 9 per cent are of the opposite
opinion; 14 per cent of the respondents declared themselves in
favour of NATO bases in Bulgaria and 52 per cent were against. 

The general skepticism and negativism regarding the power
holders, however, do not  involve a desire for new early
elections: 17 per cent favour such a move in the next few months
 while 55 per cent do not.

Electoral attitudes indicated that even if new elections were
held, Bulgaria would have a motley Parliament featuring GERB
with 22.8 per cent, BSP-Left Bulgaria with 16.9 per cent, the
Movement for Rights and Freedoms with 9.3 per cent, the
Patriotic Front with 5.4 per cent, Ataka with 4.4 per cent, the
Reformist Bloc with 3.2 per cent and ABV with 2.7 per cent. The
Patriotic Front and Ataka have gained some support and the
Reformist Bloc has lost some, the Mediana survey showed.