The popularity of most Slovak politicians has experienced steep falls over the past year, although opposition leader and former premier Robert Fico is still top of the rankings, according to a Public Affairs Institute (IVO) survey out on Wednesday, April 20th.
The poll, which canvassed views from a sample of 1,025 respondents between March 1-8, found that Smer-SD party leader Fico has the confidence of 23 percent of those asked. He experienced a slump in popularity, however, as the figure stood at 31 percent a year ago.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova (SDKU-DS) gained an extra 3 percent over the same period and is now trusted by 17 percent of those surveyed.
Smer vice-chairman and former interior minister Robert Kalinak swapped places with Radicova, falling to third place on 9 percent, down from 16 percent a year ago.
Next came President Ivan Gasparovic (8 percent), Most-Hid leader Bela Bugar (7 percent), Finance Minister Ivan Miklos (SDKU - 6 percent), and Slovak National Party chairman Jan Slota (4 percent).
Parliamentary Chairman Richard Sulik (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS), Independent MP Igor Matovic, Christian Democrat (KDH) chairman Jan Figel, SDKU chairman and Foreign Affairs Minister Mikulas Dzurinda (SDKU-DS) and Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic (KDH) were each trusted by 3 percent of the sample.
As many as 37 percent of the respondents said that not a single politician has their trust, up from last year's 24 percent.
Source: TASR, 20.4.2011
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The Slovak Spectator released an article about the recent poll:
‘No one’ leads in poll of trustworthiness by Michaela Terenzani (PDF)
Source: spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/42496/2/no_one_leads_in_poll_
of_trustworthiness.html
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Charts and comments are available at Slovak IVO webpage.
