Orbán’s Bulgarian Fandom: Unexpected Admiration in the Balkan Country
Source: Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency)
Francesco Nicoli, from the Brussels-based Bruegel Institute of Economics, remarked that Macron’s leadership is more evident at the European level than domestically, where he receives support from only 28%. Nicoli highlighted Macron’s clarity in defining Europe’s direction.
He also pointed out that some heads of state and governments lack sufficient fame to elicit strong opinions. Many EU citizens lack enough information about figures like Donald Tusk, Giorgia Meloni, and Pedro Sánchez to form opinions about them.
In Bulgaria, for instance, while Meloni enjoys a 33% approval rating, 56% of respondents feel they lack adequate information about her. The disparity is even greater for Pedro Sánchez, with only 25% expressing approval and 64% admitting to insufficient knowledge about him. Interestingly, Meloni receives strong support from 54% of Romanians.
Euronews described the survey, the first of its kind, as an effort to gauge European sentiment ahead of the June 6-9 European Parliament elections.
The survey also addresses Volodymyr Zelensky, with an average approval rating of 47%. Despite being prominently featured in the news for two years and conducting numerous diplomatic visits to garner support for Ukraine, 21% of respondents admitted to lacking sufficient knowledge about him. Disapproval stands at 32%. Overall, Zelensky emerges as the most favored among the eight leaders under evaluation.
However, Bulgaria stands out from the trend, with 56% expressing disapproval and only 29% offering approval. The country finds itself in the same category of low approval alongside Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Greece. Conversely, Scandinavian countries demonstrate over 72% approval, while Portugal and Spain register 64%. Germany, a key provider of military aid to Ukraine, displays a divided assessment, with 41% expressing positivity compared to 36% negativity.
Although the timing of the poll coincides with border blockades prompted by farmer discontent over Ukrainian agricultural imports, this does not provide the sole explanation. For instance, in Romania, disapproval of Zelensky stands at 40%, while in Poland, a nation at the forefront of protests, the sentiment is notably different, with disapproval at 24% compared to 57% approval.
The survey‘s findings shed light on the diverse attitudes towards European leaders among Bulgarians and across the EU. Despite being surrounded by controversy and geopolitical tensions, figures like Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin still find pockets of support within Bulgaria, highlighting complex dynamics within the country. As Europe prepares for the upcoming European Parliament elections, these insights into public sentiment offer valuable perspectives for policymakers and analysts alike.
The original article: belongs to Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) .
