THE popularity rating of almost all Cabinet members recorded a notable decline in October, according to a regular monthly opinion poll by BBSS Gallup International released on Monday.
The approval rating of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg dropped from 43 per cent in September to 40 per cent in October. Steeper declines were recorded for Finance Minister Milen Velchev and Economy Mnister Nikolai Vassilev to 20 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
The rating of Interior Ministry chief secretary Boiko Borissov remained unchanged at the top of the ranking with 77 per cent support.
President Georgi Purvanov and Sofia mayor Stefan Sofianski were among the few politicians with a slight growth in their public approval ratings, to 58 and 48 per cent respectively.
The poll clearly indicates that the positive news from abroad related to the credit rating, while EU and NATO integration were not factors affecting public support of the Cabinet and the overall perception regarding living standards seemed the most significant indicator forming the public opinion, Gallup said.
At the same time, the left-wing opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) retained its lead in the Gallup poll for October. However, the support rate of the party dropped slightly from 22.9 per cent in September to 22.2 per cent in October.
The ruling National Movement Simeon II (NMSII) ranked second in the poll with 11.6 per cent support in October compared to 13 per cent in September. The right-wing opposition Union of Democratic Forces was the only party represented in Parliament, which succeeded in improving its position from 10.3 per cent in September to 11.4 per cent in October, moving very close to the NMSII.
The Union of Free Democrats headed by Sofianski gained 1.2 percentage points support in October to 1.9 per cent but was still below the 4 per cent threshold, even with adjustments for the high number of people not intending to vote.
Sofianski’s party was best ranked among the parties outside Parliament, and given his high personal rating, it has good prospects to get over the threshold with a more intensive media campaign.
The approval rating of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg dropped from 43 per cent in September to 40 per cent in October. Steeper declines were recorded for Finance Minister Milen Velchev and Economy Mnister Nikolai Vassilev to 20 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
The rating of Interior Ministry chief secretary Boiko Borissov remained unchanged at the top of the ranking with 77 per cent support.
President Georgi Purvanov and Sofia mayor Stefan Sofianski were among the few politicians with a slight growth in their public approval ratings, to 58 and 48 per cent respectively.
The poll clearly indicates that the positive news from abroad related to the credit rating, while EU and NATO integration were not factors affecting public support of the Cabinet and the overall perception regarding living standards seemed the most significant indicator forming the public opinion, Gallup said.
At the same time, the left-wing opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) retained its lead in the Gallup poll for October. However, the support rate of the party dropped slightly from 22.9 per cent in September to 22.2 per cent in October.
The ruling National Movement Simeon II (NMSII) ranked second in the poll with 11.6 per cent support in October compared to 13 per cent in September. The right-wing opposition Union of Democratic Forces was the only party represented in Parliament, which succeeded in improving its position from 10.3 per cent in September to 11.4 per cent in October, moving very close to the NMSII.
The Union of Free Democrats headed by Sofianski gained 1.2 percentage points support in October to 1.9 per cent but was still below the 4 per cent threshold, even with adjustments for the high number of people not intending to vote.
Sofianski’s party was best ranked among the parties outside Parliament, and given his high personal rating, it has good prospects to get over the threshold with a more intensive media campaign.
