48% of Bulgarians will vote in the European elections, polls

According to a survey by Alpha Research polling agency, at the end of December 48% of the Bulgarians said they would vote in the European elections. Every second from the rest will either not vote or has not yet decided how to proceed. The survey was conducted from 14 to 19 December among a nationally representative sample of 1,027 adult Bulgarians.

The indication of lower turn-out puts the major parties in a close race, as 16% of all voters would support the centre-right GERB(majority partner in the ruling coalition), while 14.9% would vote for the centre-left Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) stands out as the third participant to have a secure representation in the European Parliament. Support for the movement is stated by 5.1% of the voters.

The United Patriots (an alliance of nationalist parties that is the minority partner in Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s government) receive 2.9% of the vote, which, with a 48% turnout, puts them at the brink of winning a seat in the European Parliament.

Democratic Bulgaria receives 2.7% of the votes.

In December 2018, President Rumen Radev retained a positive balance in his approval rating - 47% approval against 17% disapproval. As regards the government, approval is 17% against 45% disapproval. Since June, there has been a reversal in Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's personal rating - 30% approval against 37% disapproval. The National Assembly received only 8% support against a 53% disapproval of its work.