site.btaDefence Minister Karakachanov's Position on Recent Assault of Corporal Approved by 73% of Survey Respondents

110 POLITICS - SURVEY - BAROMETER BULGARIA

Defence Minister Karakachanov's Position
on Recent Assault of Corporal Approved
by 73% of Survey Respondents


Sofia, January 15 (BTA) - Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov's position on the recent events in Voyvodinovo (Southern Bulgaria) is approved by 73 per cent of the respondents in a survey conducted by Barometer Bulgaria between January 12 and 14 by phone calls to 812 interviewees aged over 18. A corporal was attacked and beaten up by two young Roma in the first days of January.

The percentage of approvals considerably exceeds the traditional supporters of the United Patriots on whose ticket Karakachanov was elected, the sociologists said. In their opinion, the approval results from both the natural outrage following what happened and because the majority consider the opinion and the actions of Karakachanov, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, adequate and timely.

Although this was a domestic accident, it is precisely domestic crime that most people encounter which is why they treat the matter emotionally and personally, Barometer Bulgaria pointed out. According to the respondents, society is becoming increasingly sensitive to the impunity and excessive treatment of the subject about the rights of a certain ethnic or social group, without reciprocal responsibility including liability before the law.

A total of 12.1 per cent of the interviewees are of the opposite opinion and think the position of the Defence Minister is extreme and threatens ethnic peace while 14.9 per cent abstained from answering.

If parliamentary elections were held today, GERB would have garnered 22.3 per cent of the votes, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) 20.1 per cent, the United Patriots 7.6 per cent, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) 6.2 per cent, and 6.0 per cent would go to other formations.

Asked which party they would support in the forthcoming Bulgarian MEP elections in May, 20.3 per cent said they would vote for GERB, 18.5 per cent for the BSP, 6.6 per cent for MRF, and 6.2 per cent for the United Patriots. These are the four parties that may have members of the European Parliament. The social scientists have calculated that this would mean up to six seats for GERB, five for BSP, three or four for MRF and between two and four for the United Patriots. In the case of the United Patriots, it is particularly important who will top the list, although it is not yet clear whether the three parties in the nationalist coalition will run together, the experts commented.

GERB and BSP are supported by their traditional electorate who would also vote for them in national elections. The MRF's specific support and the current formation are indicative of strong party support for candidates for members of the European Parliament, the experts said./LI/BR
/СН/