Bulgaria’s mandate-holder Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) would win 24.5% of voters’ support if the country held polls today, according to a national opinion poll of Alpha Research conducted from November 10 to November 18, 2015.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party’s support would stand at 8.4%.

The support for ruling Reformist Bloc rises by 1% and it would be backed by 6.5% of voters.

The Patriotic Front coalition, the formations in it took separately part in the local elections, would have support of 4.2%, which is 1.5% less compared to the previous survey.

Support for the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV) seems stable at respectively 6.8% and 3.5%.

If elections were held today, Ataka would enjoy the support of 1.8% of voters and would thus not win MP’s seats.

Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Lilyana Pavlova is the Bulgarian minister enjoying the most public support, according to Alpha Research’s opinion poll.

The good results of the parties from the ruling majority lead to an increase in support for the government (24% against 20% previously) but is below the sum of electoral results of the coalitional partners. Meanwhile, negative assessments of the cabinet continue to have a stable large share (42%).

Infrastructure policy and respectively, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Lilyana Pavlova, enjoy the most public support.

Confidence in Ms Pavlova continues growing.

There is almost no criticism voiced at Deputy Prime Minister for European Funds and Economy Policy Tomislav Donchev yet the specifics of his activity seems to overshadow him and thus Lilyana Pavlova has a number of positive assessments that is twice as high as the positive assessments of him.

Donchev is second in terms of public confidence.

The pension and healthcare sectors have been at the centre of public debate in the past months over already launched but strongly challenged reforms.

The public understanding changes in these sectors cannot be postponed as well as the activity of the respective ministers place the pension and healthcare sectors in the second and third place among the fields in which people see some positive progress.

Despite the understandable growth in the number of critics or people maintaining the status quo (11% for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Policy Ivaylo Kalfin and 17% for Minister of Health Petar Moskov), the fact both ministers stick to the course of reforms ensures stable support for them (20% for each of them). Alpha Research has not registered such support for ministers in the healthcare and social spheres in any previous cabinet.

The situation in sectors in which neither the professional communities nor citizens are content with reforms and the efficiency of invested public resources is quite different.

The sectors of education and internal order and security are the most severely criticised as regards the past several months the survey covers.

Regarding Minister of Education Todor Tanev and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Rumyana Bachvarova, a growth was registered in discontent with the actions taken in the respective spheres and negative assessments.

Against the background of police officers’ protests, calm in the Bulgarian army and keeping it away from turmoil led to an increase in the approval rating of Minister of Defence Nikolay Nenchev as well as to rebuilding trust in the army.

At a time when the state budget is discussed and voted on and everyone seems discontent with the finance minister, a drop is seen in the support for Minister of Finance Vladislav Goranov but the months to come will show if he manages to keep these positions.

A possible increase in fuel excise taxes and in the price of vignette stickers is disapproved by over 90% of people yet if it is compensated for by an increase in the income of households or if this level remains the same, this is not likely to lead to adverse consequences.