Public support for PM increases, for president drops

RIGA - 48.3 percent of Latvian residents approvingly assess the performance of Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (Unity) in September, which is 4.4 percent more when compared to August, according to a public opinion survey carried out by “Latvijas fakti.”

16.5 percent of respondents said that they rate the efforts of the prime minister positively, while 31.8 percent said that they rate the PM “rather positively.”

Meanwhile, 40.5 percent of the country's residents had an opposite view of the prime minister's performance, while 11.2 percent of respondents did not have a point of view.

In comparison, in May 2011, 55.9 percent of the country's residents rated Dombrovskis negatively, while 33.5 percent approved of him.

Dombrivskis' highest approval rating was in September 2010 - 52.2 percent.

In its turn, 55.1 percent of Latvian residents approvingly assess the performance of Latvian President Andris Berzins in September, which is 4.2 percent less when compared to August.

16.6 percent of respondents said that they rate the efforts of the president positively, while 38.5 percent said that they rate the president “rather positively.”

Meanwhile, 31.1 percent of the country's residents had the opposite view of the president’s performance, while 13.8 percent of respondents did not have a point of view.

Berzins' approval rating exceeded 50 percent for the first time this past February, and has remained above 50 percent ever since.