51% of Bulgarians support anti-government protests
(original text in Bulgarian published here)
Half of the adult Bulgarian population is not happy with the government of Plamen Oresharski and supports the protests, points out a recent opinion poll by the Alpha Research agency. The share of discontented has increased significantly since the beginning of the protests, from 28% to 47% at the end of August 2013.
Two-thirds of Bulgarians find the protests completely justified, although some believe no real change is possible. 51% of respondents support the anti-government protests demanding resignation of the government, 33% support the counter protests in favor of the government, while 16% do not support either protest. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed credit the protests with the removal of Delyan Peevski and the cancelling of other outrageous appointments.
According to the Alpha Research survey, the myth ‘Sofia vs the rest of the country’ stems from the migration of a significant part of the young and middle-age generation with high education to larger towns and mostly to the capital Sofia. The people who stay in smaller towns share certain characteristics (such as older age, lower education and qualification, unemployment) that make them dependent on government benefits.
Another finding of the survey is that a larger portion of the citizens living outside the capital feel independent and not affected by the ruling parties than citizens of the capital. Over 10% of voters would vote for a party of the protest or another new political entity.
