Latest Poll Confirms Slip in Bulgarian PM Approval Rating

Bulgaria's EU Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, continues to be the politician with the highest approval rating in the country. Photo by BGNES

The Gallup polling agency has registered for the very first time that the number of people disapproving of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, is higher than of those approving of him.

The information was reported by Gallup representative, Marchela Abrasheva, who spoke Thursday in an interview for the TV channel bTV, confirming the results from a poll of the Alfa Research agency, announced a day earlier.

Those who said they do not approve of Borisov do not come from former supporters but from people, who, so far, have remained neutral, the Gallup poll shows.

"For several months now, the situation from last fall, when the PM led all ratings charts, is changed. He is still among the top five runners, along with Regional Minister, Rosen Pleneliev, President, Georgi Parvanov, the former and first Bulgarian EU Commissioner and presidential candidate, Meglena Kuneva, and current EU Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, who is steadily number one. Kuneva appears to be a very strong rival of the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party," Abrasheva said.

Gallup further registered a high level of overall pessimism, with people showing permanent discontent about prices and health care, while regarding fight against corruption and organized crime the positive assessments surpass the negative ones.

On her part, Boryana Dimitrova, manager of Alfa research, who also took part in the interview, forecasted that there would not be a clear winner in the first round of the presidential elections.

The surprise in their poll has been 9.5% saying they will vote for the candidate of "another, different, unidentified party," showing renewed interest in something new, Dimitrova explained.

Regarding the far-right, nationalist Ataka party's ratings, the Alfa research results have shown a sharp decline, aimed personally at its leader, Volen Siderov – his 10% approval has slipped to 6%, due mainly to former Ataka voters.

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