Send to Kindle
Sociologists in Bulgaria are joining around the fact that approval ratings of the ruling GERB of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, are collapsing less than one year before the next parliamentary election. Photo by BGNES
Less than a year before the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, the top polling agencies in the country have obtained controversial data and forecasts on the standing of the opposition.
The most striking discrepancy is the one between the Institute for Social Research and Mediana where the margin of support between the left-wing, opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, is 11% and 0.1%, respectively.
The Heads of the two agencies, Mira Radeva and Kolio Kolev, clashed Thursday, regarding the above data, with Kolev accusing Radeva of working for those in power.
Speaking for bTV, he explained the wide gap in numbers with the fact his agency was widely considered to be in opposition.
Also before bTV, Radeva defended herself, stressing her agency was the one to forecast more correctly the results of the October 2011 presidential election. She voiced the hypothesis Mediana polled elderly people, who stay at home and back BSP' which, according to her, explained the above 0.1% margin.
Radeva's poll shows that at the beginning of October GERB had 27.3% voter support while BSP had 16.4%.
Other polling agencies such as the National Center for the Study of Public Opinion, NZIOM, (which is funded by the Parliament), and Sova Harris also give a 10%-11% margin, while in polls of Alfa Research and Gallup it is 5%-6%.
Despite the disagreements, sociologists in Bulgaria are joining around the fact that approval ratings of the ruling GERB are collapsing.
Kolev explains it with the constant change of mind of those in power regarding key issues such as retirement pensions, the minimum monthly wage, and the project to build a second Nuclear Power Plant in the Danube town of Belene.
He reiterated BSP's closing the gap with GERB can be explained with the September 29 election of BSP leader and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, as President of the Party of European Socialists, PES, which dealt a heavy blow to GERB.
The Mediana Head further pointed out there is wide-spread fear among common Bulgarians to speak up their mind. His agency has registered 20% of voters being scared to voice their political choice over some form of repression.
A recent survey conducted by Alpha Research following the vote on the Zhelyazkov cabinet has revealed that 39% of Bulgarians approve of the newly formed government
A recent "Alpha Research" poll conducted between January 15 and 20, 2025, reveals that GERB still holds a strong lead in Bulgaria’s political landscape
The regular government’s primary goal is to halt the state’s decline, according to GERB Chairman Boyko Borissov, who expressed concern about the current political situation during a statement in parliament
The adoption of amendments to the Law on the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), crucial for Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone, was unexpectedly blocked in parliament as the ruling GERB party withheld its support
Nikolai Denkov, former Prime Minister and current co-chairman of the "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) parliamentary group
Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Yotova expressed optimism that the election of a regular government may mark the end of the political crisis in the country
Bulgaria’s toll system now has the technical capability to track average vehicle speeds, as announced by the National Toll Management following a meeting with Regional Development Minister Violeta Koritarova.
The income required to cover living expenses for a working individual and a three-member family with a child under 14 has remained almost unchanged compared to June, according to an analysis by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CI
The Council of Ministers has adopted a resolution to set the minimum wage at 1,077 leva, reflecting a 15.
Every 20 minutes, fire alerts are received from across Bulgaria.
I feel no moral guilt towards anyone. This was stated by Kiril Petkov, answering a question whether he would apologize to the Bulgarian people for violating the Constitution.
Head of the Military Medical Academy (MMA) Major General Prof.
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability
