Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A survey conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows that despite a 8.25 percent decline in its popularity rating, the ruling Democrat Party (PD) still tops the other parties in terms of people`s approval.

"Unlike the various surveys that have been publicized lately, our survey shows that parties other than PD have not been able to gain more popular support although PD has come under an unfavorable spotlight in connection with several corruption cases," CSIS researcher Philips J. Vermonte said when presenting the results of the center`s survey on national political conditions here Monday.

According Philips, the criticisms leveled against the government and attacks on the Democrat Party by the opposition party and coalition parties acting like an opposition had not resulted in a significant gain in popularity for those parties.

"In fact, there was a decline in popularity not only for the Democrat Party but for all parties. This confirms and implies that people`s trust in political parties as a whole has dropped," he said,

If the survey`s respondents were divided into three groups with regard to the government`s performance - those satisfied, those who thought there was stagnation and those who felt there was a decline -the satisfied group accounted for the largest number of people supporting the Democrat Party.

"The Democrat Party would have the biggest chance of winning the next general elections if it can ensure good governance to improve the quality of the economy, eradicate corruption and enforce the law," he said.

The CSIS survey put the Golkar Party in second place in terms of people`s support at 10.5 percent of the number of respondents and the Indonesian Democracy Party-Stuggle (PDIP) in third place at 7.3 percent.

The Nation`s Awakening Party (PKB_, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Greater Indonesia Party (Gerindra), United Development Party (PPP), and People`s Mandate Party (PAN) were ranked in fourth to eighth places having experienced a decline in people`s support ranging between 0.54 percent and 4.78 percent. The People`s Conscience Party (Hanura) saw the biggest decline in popular support and enjoyed the approval of only 0.7 percent of respondents.

The CSIS survey was done on 2,117 respondents in 23 provinces. Ten provinces with a population of lower than one percent of the the cuntry`s population were not covered by the survey as people`s opinions there would have made a minimal difference in the survey`s restults.
(T.P012/Uu.H-AJM/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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