Czechs' trust in ODS, ČSSD leaders lowest since 2010

Prague, Sept 26 (CTK) - Czechs' trust in Petr Necas and Bohuslav Sobotka, heads of the Civic Democrats (ODS) and Social Democrats (CSSD), the two strongest parties in the Chamber of Deputies, has markedly dropped of late and is lowest in the past two years, according to CVVM's September poll released to CTK.

ODS deputy chairman and former justice minister Jiri Pospisil enjoys the biggest trust (40 percent) among leading representatives of the political parties represented in the lower house of parliament.

CVVM has been following Czechs' trust in leading representatives of parties in the Chamber of Deputies since September 2010.

It has a list of 29 names, most of them chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of parties and deputy groups' heads.

Trust in both Necas and Sobotka dropped by 6 percentage points from June. Necas's loss, from 23 to 17 percent, is bigger. Sobotka with 32 percent still remains among the five most trusted politicians.

Necas and Sobotka's showing has been the worst since CVVM started to conduct this type of polls in 2010.

Necas was most trusted (41 percent) shortly after he formed the current centre-right coalition government in mid-2010.

Sobotka reached his maximum in the middle of 2011 when he was trusted by 42 percent of the polled.

Pospisil gained 40 percent trust in September and he pushed CSSD deputy chairman and presidential candidate Jiri Dienstbier, whose trust dropped from 42 percent in the previous poll to 37 percent now to second position.

ODS deputy chairwoman and Chamber of Deputies chairwoman Miroslava Nemcova (36 percent) ended third, Sobotka came fourth and TOP 09 chairman and presidential candidate Karel Schwarzenberg placed fifth with 31 percent.

None of the other party representatives crossed the 30 percent level.

The biggest declines were registered besides Necas and Sobotka also by Dienstbier (5 percent), and by Nemcova and Schwarzenberg, each 4 percentage points.

The same decline was registered in TOP 09 deputy chairman and Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek who was trusted by 10 percent of Czechs.

Pospisil scored the biggest increase in trust (4 percentage points).

He is also the sole leading party representative whose positive assessment prevails over negative assessment. Only 32 percent of people said they mistrust him compared with 40 percent who trust him.