Liberal Free Democrat leader Gabor Fodor dropped six points in popularity in a monthly poll conducted by pollster Szonda Ipsos and published in Wednesday’s national daily Nepszabadsag.
Fodor, who has been one of Hungary’s more popular politicians over the past two years with ratings of 40-44 points, received just 34 points in the latest survey. He has recently begun to distance his FreeDems from the Socialist Party, threatening to vote down key legislation. The Socialists have been governing as a minority since May, when the FreeDems quit the government coalition and losing key votes could trigger early elections. Nepszabadsag reports that Fodor’s drop in popularity came principally from Socialist party supporters, who had traditionally given him 50 points and now gave him just 30.
The most popular politician continues to be President Laszlo Solyom, with 50 points. He is apparently the only political figure on which government and opposition supporters can agree for there is comparatively little difference in the way he is rated by the two major camps. Solyom is followed by two Socialist politicians – both women. Speaker of Parliament Katalin Szili and Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz each received 44 points. Next come the leaders of two conservative opposition parties: Viktor Orban of Fidesz, the largest opposition party, with 43 points and Ibolya David, chair of the small Democratic Forum with 42 points.
Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany is third from bottom with 28 points. Even less popular is his finance minister, Janos Veres with 27 points, and at rock bottom is Free Democrat parliamentary group leader Janos Koka with 22 points, Nepszabadsag wrote.
The poll was conducted on a sample of 1,500 people between September 17 and 24.
