Economy 23 November 2016, 5:19pm

Approval rating of Hungary's far-right Jobbik party drops

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Lejtőn a Jobbik támogatottsága, Gyurcsány viszont egyre népszerűbb

The approval ratings of the main political parties in Hungary has not changed meaningfully compared to September, pollster Medián said in its survey conducted on an assignment by weekly HVG in mid-November. Far-right nationalist Jobbik party is slightly less popular than in September, whereas the approval ratings of opposition parties, the Democratic Coalition and the Socialist Party (MSZP), as well as of the ruling Fidesz party, remained practically unchanged. As for individuals, however, some major changes were observed. Ferenc Gyucsány’s popularity is at a 9-year high, whereas cabinet minister Antal Rogán would definitely be happy if he was given a break.

According to the latest survey by pollster Medián, conducted in mid-November, the approval ratings of political parties hardly changed compared to mid-September. One exception may be the approval rating of far-right Jobbik, which dropped to 10%, the lowest level since January 2014, hvg.hu reported.

The Democratic Coalition’s approval rating edged up to 6% from 4%, whereas the ratings of the MSZP and green party LMP stagnated at 9% and 3%, respectively. Among eligible voters, the ruling Fidesz party still enjoys a 36% support, and although this is under the previous reading of 37%, it is still way higher than a year earlier. Meanwhile, the ratio of those without party preference dropped further and reached 29% among eligible voters.

As regards the approval ratings of key political figures, major changes occurred. Several opposition politicians have become more popular. Although former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány really boosted his appeal, he remains in the lower section of the ranking with a 26% approval rating. Yet, the last time he was this popular was in 2007. The biggest loser in this particular “race" was definitely propaganda minister Antal Rogán, whose lavish lifestyle has cost him 10 percentage points in its approval rating (4% at present) compared to June.