A survey by the Századvég Institute has found that opposition prime ministerial candidate, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, is unpopular with 57 percent of decided voters, while 54 percent view the opposition coalition unfavorably.
Századvég said only 37 percent of respondents said they found the mayor sympathetic, while 39 percent supported the opposition. In terms of Karácsony’s popularity index (the difference between positive and negative responses), he is less popular (minus 20 percent) than the opposition alliance (minus 15 percent), the survey found.
The survey also found that his low approval rating may be due to the fact that Karácsony had already lost a general election in 2018. Voters may also feel that his performance as mayor has failed to live up to expectations, as he failed to fulfil campaign promises such as cost-free public transport for children under 14 and heating subsidies for the elderly and vulnerable. Among undecided voters, Karácsony is unpopular with 51 percent and popular with 17 percent (a popularity rating of minus 34 percent).