Market Links poll: Elections in Bulgaria now would produce seven-group Parliament
Were parliamentary elections to be held in Bulgaria now, they would produce a National Assembly with seven groups, with GERB-UDF and We Continue the Change (WCC) in a close race to be the largest group, according to a poll by the Market Links agency.
The results of the poll, funded by Market Links and bTV and released on July 14, showed GERB with 22.2 per cent and WCC with 21.5 per cent support among those who intend to vote.
In third place was the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) with 11.6 per cent, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) with 9.1 per cent, Democratic Bulgaria 8.3 per cent, pro-Russian Vuzrazhdane 7.6 per cent and former caretaker prime minister Stefan Yanev’s Bulgarian Ascending 4.3 per cent.
At 3.2 per cent, Slavi Trifonov’s ITN has fallen below the threshold of a four per cent share of votes to win seats in Parliament. Among political leaders, Trifonov has had the largest fall in approval, with a nine per cent approval rating and an 80 per cent disapproval rating.
President Roumen Radev is the only politician with a positive rating, although approval of him has fallen over the past two to three months because of his criticisms of the ruling coalition. Radev has an approval rating of 48 per cent and a disapproval rating of 32 per cent.
Outgoing Prime Minister and WCC co-leader Kiril Petkov has regained in his approval rating, Market Links’s Dobromir Zhivkov told bTV on July 14.
Petkov has an approval rating of 22 per cent and a disapproval rating of 66 per cent.
GERB leader Boiko Borissov has an approval rating of 21 per cent and a disapproval rating of 66 per cent, BSP leader Kornelia Ninova an approval rating of 20 per cent and a disapproval rating of 65 per cent and Democratic Bulgaria co-leader Hristo Ivanov an approval rating of 20 per cent and a disapproval rating of 57 per cent.
Vuzrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov has an approval rating of 17 per cent and a disapproval rating of 85 per cent, while MRF leader Mustafa Karadayi has a 13 per cent approval rating and a 77 per cent disapproval rating.
“The tendency of a decrease in confidence in the parties of the ruling coalition started to appear since February. We had indications of instability, of a brewing political crisis. This is rather due to economic fears and the serious situation we are in. That is, it is not is a direct evaluation of the government,” Zhivkov said.
The poll was done between July 2 and 10 among 2014 adult citizens through direct standardised interviews.
(Photo: parliament.bg)
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