Prague, Oct 8 (CTK) – Deputy Prime Minister and ANO chairman Andrej Babis remains the most popular Czech politician and his popularity has increased, according to a STEM poll released to CTK Thursday.
Babis, who is positively assessed by 64 percent of the polled, is followed by Prime Minister and Social Democrat (CSSD) chairman Bohuslav Sobotka (56 percent) and Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO; 50 percent).
Since the previous poll in May, Babis’s popularity has risen by 5 percentage points.
The positions of Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (CSSD), ANO first deputy head Jaroslav Faltynek, Transport Minister Dan Tok (for ANO) and Justice Minister Robert Pelikan (for ANO) have also improved.
Babis has topped the popularity polls since last January. Sobotka became a runner-up last autumn.
Babis scored a record high popularity in January when 72 percent of respondents liked him. Then his popularity was falling, but it has reached the May level again of late.
According to the STEM pollsters, this development might depend on calming down the situation in the government coalition, comprised also of the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), and of the conflict of interests of Babis who is heading the Finance Ministry along with the Agrofert food concern.
Chovanec finished fourth, followed by Deputy PM and KDU-CSL chairman Pavel Belobradek and Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (CSSD).
The position of Human Rights and Legislation Minister Jiri Dienstbier (CSSD) has worsened. Only one-third of the polled assess him positively, while at the beginning of the year he was praised by a half od respondents.
Pelikan, who assumed the ministerial post in March, seems to be more known in the public than in the past. While in May more than a half of respondents did not know him, now it is 38 percent.
As far as new Education Minister Katerina Valachova (CSSD) is concerned, two-fifths of respondents do not know her and one quarter assess her positively.
STEM conducted the poll on 925 respondents on September 18-28. The agency has been monitoring politicians’ popularity since 1993, focusing on the heads and deputy head of the major parties and all government members.
Popularity standings of politicians (in percent):
Politician May 2015 September 2015
Andrej Babis (ANO) 59 64
Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) 58 56
Martin Stropnicky (ANO) 51 50
Milan Chovanec (CSSD) 42 46
Pavel Belobradek (KDU-CSL) 39 39
Lubomir Zaoralek (CSSD) 38 38
Jaroslav Faltynek (ANO) 29 35
Jiri Dienstbier (CSSD) 38 35
Michaela Marksova (CSSD) 33 34
Dan Tok (ANO) 31 34
Source: STEM
