Poll: Dienstbier remains most popular politician

Prague, Jan 29 (CTK) - Jiri Dienstbier, Czech senator and senior opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) deputy chairman, keeps his position as the country's most popular politician, supported by two-thirds of Czechs, according to a poll the STEM agency released yesterday.

STEM conducted the poll on 1119 people on January 4-11, ahead of the first round of the direct presidential election in which Dienstbier ran for the CSSD and failed to advance to the run-off, ending fourth out of nine candidates.

His popularity before the first round rose considerably, as did that of Karel Schwarzenberg, foreign minister and head and presidential candidate of TOP 09, who succeeded in the first round vote but lost to his rival, former socialist PM Milos Zeman, in the second round last weekend.

Schwarzenberg's popularity rose by one-third before the first round, the poll showed.

CSSD politicians dominated the list of the most popular politicians in early January, nevertheless. They occupied six of the first ten positions in it, and four of the first five positions.

After Dienstbier, the second position went to Jiri Pospisil, former justice minister and deputy chairman of the senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS).

The third, fourth and fifth positions were occupied by CSSD chairman Bohuslav Sobotka and CSSD deputy chairpersons Lubomir Zaoralek and Marie Benesova.

Dienstbier was positively assessed by 66 percent of those polled.

Of the other politicians, only Pospisil was supported by more than a half of the respondents - 54 percent.

Prime Minister and ODS chairman Petr Necas ended fifteenth with 22 percent.

Dienstbier's popularity rose by 8 percentage points and Schwarzenberg's even by 11 percentage points, from 34 to 45 percent, from November 2012.

As a result, Schwarzenberg occupied the sixth position, overtaking CSSD deputy chairman Michal Hasek and ODS deputy chairwoman and Chamber of Deputies head Miroslava Nemcova.

CSSD deputy chairman Zdenek Skromach ended ninth and junior opposition Communist (KSCM) head Vojtech Filip tenth.

The popularity of Deputy Prime Minister Karolina Peake (LIDEM chairwoman) declined most of all, from 23 percent to 12 percent, probably in connection with her dismissal as defence minister in December, after a mere eight days in the post, STEM said.

Ten politicians best assessed by Czechs (in percent):

March 2012 May 2012 September 2012 November 2012 January 2013
1. Jiri Dienstbier (CSSD) 56 51 54 58 66
2. Jiri Pospisil (ODS) 39 40 50 51 54
3. Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) 47 44 42 44 48
4. Marie Benesova (CSSD) 43 40 40 41 46
5. Lubomir Zaoralek (CSSD) 36 35 38 38 46
6. Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) 35 33 32 34 45
7. Michal Hasek (CSSD) 42 41 41 43 44
8. Miroslava Nemcova (ODS) 42 43 42 37 41
9. Zdenek Skromach (CSSD) 35 34 33 34 38
10. Vojtech Filip (KSCM) 29 31 29 31 31

Source: STEM