Ukraine's Yushchenko Keeps Losing Support

KIEV, Ukraine -- Fewer people in Ukraine approve of their president’s performance, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation.

Viktor Yushchenko keeps losing voter support
Only 23.3 per cent of respondents rate Viktor Yushchenko’s presidency in a positive light, down 4.6 points since January.

Yushchenko, candidate for the People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU), won the December 2004 presidential election with 51.99 per cent of the vote in an unprecedented third round against Viktor Yanukovych.

In March 2006, Ukrainian voters renewed the Supreme Council. In July, the "anti-crisis" governing coalition—which includes the Party of Regions (PR), the Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU) and the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU)—was formally announced.

In August, PR leader Yanukovych was confirmed as prime minister.

The government has been deemed very ineffective since Yushchenko’s pro-Western and Yanukovych’s pro-Russian factions have been forced to work in coalition.

Last month, Yushchenko accused lawmakers loyal to Yanukovych of taking decisions "with such insufficient consideration that they can be based only on emotions and the desire for some primitive revenge" for the current prime minister’s defeat in the 2004 ballot.

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Viktor Yushchenko’s performance as president?

Approve
23.3% - Feb. 2007
27.9% - Jan. 2007

Disapprove
63.8% - Feb. 2007
61.3% - Jan. 2007

Not sure
12.9% - Feb. 2007
11.9% - Jan. 2007

Methodology: Interviews to 2,000 Ukrainian adults, conducted from Feb. 16 to Feb. 26, 2007. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.

Source: Angus Reid Global Monitor