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Yanukovych Most Popular Politician In Ukraine - Poll

KYIV. Feb 6 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych is the only politician in the country whose work is supported by more people than disapproved of, according to a poll of 2,025 respondents no younger than 18, which the Sofia social survey center conducted in all regions of Ukraine on January 19-26.

The poll showed that 49.3% of the respondents support Yanukovych's course, while 46.2% are critical about it, Oleksandr Levtsin of Sofia said. Yulia Tymoshenko, a former primer minister and currently an influential parliamentary leader, is trusted by 37.1%, and former parliamentary speaker and People's Party leader Volodymyr Lytvyn by 35.5%. Former President Leonid Kuchma is trusted by only 1.2%.

More than half of those polled - 51.6% - are convinced that the prime minister is a strong leader capable of consolidating the nation and radically changing the situation in the country. Only 23.5% of those polled consider him a weak politician incapable of changing the situation in the country for the better.

Nearly half of the respondents - 46.1% - would not support the holding of early parliamentary elections, 24.3% support this idea, and the rest were either indifferent to it or were undecided.

If parliamentary elections were held within a week, the Party of Regions would receive 29.9% of the vote, the Batkivshchyna party 18.2%, Our Ukraine 7.9%, the Communist Party 3.7%, and the rest of the parties would get no more than 3%.

Another 10.8% were undecided, and 11.9% would refuse to vote.

If presidential elections were held within the next week, Yanukovych would garner 32.5% of the vote in the first round, Tymoshenko 19.3%, President Viktor Yushchenko 11.1%, and Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko 3.7%. The rest of potential presidential candidates, including Lytvyn, presidential advisor Yury Lutsenko, parliamentary speaker Oleksandr Moroz, and Progressive Socialist Party leader Natalya Vitrenko, would receive less than 3% of the vote. As many as 5.4% would vote against all, and 8.2% would not go to the polling stations.

If Yanukovych and Tymoshenko proceeded to the second round, Yanukovych would be supported by 41.9% and Tymoshenko by 31.2%, 12% would vote against both, and 9.1% would not cast their ballots.

If Yanukovych and Yushchenko competed in the second round of the elections, the current premier would be supported by 42.1% and president by 23.8%, and 18.1% would vote against all.

If Yushchenko and Tymoshenko would be in the runoff, Yushchenko would get 17% and Tymoshenko 29.7%, but 32.4% would vote against all.

As many as 32.3% of the respondents assess the work of the Yanukovych government partially positively, 21.7% basically positively, 24.6% basically negatively, and 17.7% believe it is too early yet to assess this government's performance.