Bokova's UN Chief Candidacy Backed by 2/3 of Bulgarians - Poll

Nearly two-thirds of Bulgarians support the candidacy of UNESCO head Irina Bokova for UN Secretary General, a Gallup International Bulgaria poll shows.

Bokova is supported by 64% of respondents, compared to 23% against and 13% answering they "can't say".

The share of those who believe she is doing well in the race is slightly lower, at 59%. Those unable to say are 23%, while respondents showing disapproval of her candidacy are 18%.

The survey comes more than a week after Bulgaria's government announced it might seek to replace her as a candidate for the top UN job if she does not rank between the two nominees with the best results in the UN Security Council vote on September 26.

The name of Kristalina Georgieva has often been mentioned as a possible nominee of Bulgaria but also of other countries. Media reports have attributed to Germany an effort to change the Bulgarian candidate, a move which has inflamed the diplomatic rhetoric between Berlin and Moscow.

It shows a narrow majority of respondents (56%) do not approve any change of candidate, compared to 32% who would approve and 12% who cannot say.

A bigger share of respondents (62%) have said that, if Bulgaria does put forward a new candidate, it will be mostly because of "external factors", followed by "the fact that Kristalina Georgieva is better" (19%), and "another reason" (4%). As many as 15% have answered "can't say".

Support for Bokova does not seem to be divided along party lines, with supporters of conservative GERB, nationalist Patriotic Front, and socialist BSP, but also those who don't vote, largely backing her, Gallup Internatonal Bulgaria has said in a statement.

The UNESCO chief, however, enjoys mixed reception among supporters of the Reformist Bloc (RB), a coalition of right-wing and centrist parties some of whose members point to Bokova's communist ancestry, her father having been the editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian Communist Party's mouthpiece during the Cold War.

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