Pollster: Lukashenka's rating drops to 40%

Aliaksandr Lukashenka's electoral ratings in December 2014 dropped down to 40 percent against 45.2 percent in September, according to the results of the national poll conducted by the Independent Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS), a Belarusian pollster registered in exile in Lithuania.

The poll was carried out in early December - before the foreign currency crisis and the reshufflement of the government and the National Bank could have influenced the answers by the respondents.

The figures of trust to the uncumbent president also went down, with 53.5 percent of respondents trusting him in September but 49.9 percent in December 2014.

Sociologists suggest the support base has dropped, because the Ukraine factor now plays a lesser role in the mass consciousness of Belarusians. Before, "the fears of total destabilization over the developments in Ukraine replaced reality for millions of Belarusians.” Now, economy increasingly matters with regard to the attitude of Belarusians towards the goverment," according to the IISEPS experts.

However, the rating of the opposition remains low, with only 16 percent of the respondents trusting political parties and nearly 60 percent saying they do not trust political parties. The electoral rating of Speak the Truth campaign Uladzimir Nyakliayeu currenly stands at 3.5 percent; Movement for Freedom's Aliaksandr Milinkevich - 2.8 percent; former presidential candidate and political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich - 2.7 percent; United Civil Party leader Anatol Liabedzka - 0.8 percent; Fair World party chairman Siarhei Kaliakin - 0.7 percent

The poll's sample was 1504 respondents, with representation error not exceeding more than 3 percent, reports TUT.by