Author: Kajoyan Gevork

SPITAK EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS STILL WAITING FOR HELP 25 YEARS ON

Deutsche Welle, Germany
Dec 6 2013

December 7 marks the 25th anniversary of the Spitak earthquake in
Armenia where some 24,000 people died. A quarter of a century later,
some 4,500 families are still living in makeshift shelters, waiting
for help.

It all happened on a Wednesday. At 11:41 on the morning of December 7,
1988, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the then
Soviet Republic of Armenia. The effects were devastating.

“It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen in my life,” says
eyewitness Mania Grigoryan, who still lives in the area today. “There
was a river of blood in the street. I remember how they put the bodies
of the children in the streets. I cried so much. It’s been 25 years
but I remember it like it was yesterday.”

Grigoryan is used to hardship. At 93 she’s survived World War Two,
conflict against Azerbaijan in the 1990s and several earthquakes. Ever
since the 1988 Spitak quake she’s been forced to live in a tin
container that barely resembles a house.

“My life is hard,” she says. “You can’t really call it life. There
is no shower here, the toilet is out of order, there is no heat. How
is it possible to live here?”

Tough winters

The city of Gyumri still has infrastructure problems today, as a
result of the earthquake in 1988

Grigoryan says the winters are the worst. That’s when the average
temperature is at minus 10 degrees Celsius and she only has a small
gas portable stove to warm herself up. All the warmth in the house
comes from its small, blue flame.

Grigoryan’s tin house stands in one of the many shanty districts
scattered across the Armenian city of Gyumri, one of the cities
worst affected by the earthquake back in 1988. The muddy streets
are filled with rubbish. During the Soviet Union, the city was an
important industrial town, especially for textile production. Now it
is capital of the poorest region in Armenia.

Gayane Yenogian lives at the other end of the city. She was 22 years
old when the quake struck and was working in a local factory that day.

The building collapsed and she was lucky to get out in time, she says.

Yenogian also lives in a container, sometimes called a domik. In her
house, the windows are made of cheap plastic rather than glass.

“In the morning it’s freezing,” she says. “This is the main reason
for my health problems. My clothes are dirty because I need to carry
water to wash them and I don’t have money to buy detergent.”

Mountains of coffins: the death toll from the Spitak earthquake
was 24,000

Yenogian’s mother died in 2001. She believes that it was partly because
of the poor living conditions in the domik that she passed away.

Depleted public money

Yenogian and Gregoryan are just two of many residents in Gyumri who
are still waiting for a public apartment, promised to them after
they lost their houses in the quake. The Soviet Union built 4000
apartments before its collapse in 1991, and 20,000 more have been
built over the last 22 years. But it’s still not enough.

“The main infrastructure like electricity, water, schools and roads
were destroyed,” says Albert Margaryan, the regional head of Urban
Development in the Shirak province, of which Gyumri is the capital.

“We just did not have the financial conditions to go faster,” he says.

According to Margaryan, 3500 of those families still living in
temporary accommodation are not eligible to get an apartment, either
because they came from the villages to look for a job in the city,
or because they already had an apartment and sold it.

The latter applies to Sveta Gabryelian. The mother of two sold her
apartment because she needed the money to pay for eye surgery.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a memorial for victims of
the Spitak earthquake

Regional official Albert Margaryan says that some apartments will
still be built and given to people at lower prices and in accordance
with special conditions. But, until that happens there will still be
people dying in Armenia’s sub-zero winters, say local residents.

“When it’s very cold some people just go to sleep,” Sveta Gabryelian
explains. “In the morning, they are found frozen to death.”

DW.DE

AZERBAIJAN CONSULATE RAILS HIGHLAND OVER SUPPORT FOR NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC

Redlands Daily Facts, CA
Dec 6 2013

By Joe Nelson, San Bernardino Sun

HIGHLAND >> The Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles
is asking the city of Highland to rescind its recent proclamation
granting sister city status to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the
former Soviet Union.

In a letter dated Nov. 26, the Mayor of Berdzor City, in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic also known as Artsakh, asked the city to
establish a “relationship of friendship and spiritual connection”
with the city and to “cooperate in the areas of culture, sport, and
education for the purpose of the preservation and exchange of mutual
Christian values.”

Highland Mayor Larry McCallon presented the request to the City
Council the same day, and the Council approved the request on a 4-0
vote. Councilwoman Penny Lilburn was absent from the meeting.

The following day, on Nov. 27, the Consulate General of Azerbaijan
in Los Angeles sent a letter to each City Council member, asking they
rescind the decision.

McCallom said Thursday he has no intention of doing so, and didn’t
have anything further to say on the matter.

The war-torn region of Berdzor City was rehabilitated by Armenian
Christian secessionists amid the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict. The
vegetation-lush region is the only non-recognized state that receives
humanitarian aid from the U.S., said Tereza Yerimyan, government
affairs director of the Armenian National Committee’s Western Region
office in Glendale.

The city of Los Angeles is also a sister city with the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic, and Fresno County and the states of California,
Maine, Massachussetts and Rhode Island have all adopted resolutions
recognizing the region as an independent state.

Yerimyan said the Christian Armenians have been violently oppressed by
the mostly Muslim Armenians of the Azerbaijan Republic, a conflict that
dates back to the Nagorno-Karabakh War in the early 1990s following
the dissolving of the Soviet Union. Berdzor City’s push to attain
sister city relationships with municipalities across the U.S.

is an attempt at building bridges, Yerimyan said.

“It’s a way of uniting and potentially encouraging trade, and a
way of also recognizing the fact that Artsakh is also independent,”
Yerimyan said Thursday. “It does not in any way, shape or form have
any Soviet remnants left in it. It’s truly a partner for the U.S.”

The Consulate General of Azerbaijan, however, maintains that
the Armenian lobby has been preying on the ignorance of local
municipalities, getting them to ratify sister city agreements with
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in order to establish credibility as an
independent nation. But the region is internationally recognized as
part of the Azerbaijan Republic, and the U.S. doesn’t even recognize
the area as an independent state.

“This is part of the strategy pursued by the Armenian lobby to get
credibility for the illegal regime that was established by Armenia
following its invasion of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized
territory,” said Rafig Rustamov, vice consul for the for the Consulate
General’s office in Los Angeles, on Thursday.

And though Yerimyan says the warring Azerbaijanis have been oppressive
and violent, Rustamov said the seceding Armenians have invaded 20
percent of Azerbaijan’s territory and expelled 800,000 Azerbaijans
from their homes and land.

“The U.N. Security Council harshly condemned this invasion with four
resolutions,” Rustamov said.

Highland Councilwoman Jody Scott was surprised when she heard the news
Thursday. She said she never recieved the letter from the Azerbaijan
Consulate, but planned to look into the matter and request that the
it be brought back before the City Council for further discussion.

“If that’s the case I’m a little bit ticked off because I went down
to City Hall Tuesday morning and cleaned out my mailbox, and there
was no letter from this Consulate,” Scott said.

Scott said she e-mailed City Manager Joe Hughes on Thursday and asked
about the letter from the Consulate. He said it was in her mailbox
at city Hall, Scott said. She said she plans to address the matter
at Tuesday’s Council meeting.

“I’m going to question the action that was taken and why it was made,”
Scott said.

When she approved the item on Nov. 26, she said she only asked whether
there would be any financial impact to the city (there isn’t), but
nothing else.

“I didn’t question anything else, and I should have,” Scott said.

“What do we know about this Republic? That’s the question I am going
to ask.”

Rustamov said the Consulate letter was sent on Nov. 27 to each
Councilmember via regular mail, e-mail and fax.

While not officially recognized, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic serves
as an excellent example of successful Democracy, which makes the
Azerbaijani response all the more upsetting, Yerimyan said.

“It’s such a dirty trick to attack something like this,” said
Yerimyan. “These people have fought for their freedom, just like how
(Americans) fought for their freedom in the U.S. They (Azerbaijanis)
need to move on.”

IRAN CLAIMS TO THWART AZERBAIJANI CULTURAL IMPERIALISM AT UNESCO

States News Service
December 5, 2013 Thursday

PRAGUE, Czech Republic

Host Azerbaijan walks away a winner from this week’s UNESCO conference
on “intangible cultural heritage,” successfully enlisting “urgent”
help to preserve an archaic form of polo played on short-legged
Karabakh horses.

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization committee’s
listing of “chovqan” recognizes that the sport’s continuity is
“at risk” from a dwindling number of practitioners, precious little
interest among young people, and urbanization.

It also recognizes the Azerbaijani state’s role in safeguarding
chovqan.

As it turns out, that doesn’t sit so well with neighboring Iran,
which claims the game — rendered “chogan” — as Persian.

Here’s a video report on Iranian efforts to “revive an ancient Persian
sport…that dates back to thousands of years ago:”

It’s not the money that’s at issue here, since there’s no direct
funding attached to the “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage In Need
Of Urgent Safeguarding.”

It’s the principle.

So, as Baku was winning the battle for headlines, Tehran’s envoys
were busy wringing backroom concessions out of Azerbaijan and
the committee on behalf of Iran’s Western Azerbaijan and Eastern
Azerbaijan provinces, as well as a silent coterie of purported chogan
practitioners in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

While the UNESCO press release on December 3 referred only to “a
traditional horse-riding game in the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the
“Tehran Times” the next day quoted an Iranian official as claiming
victory.

“The efforts made by the Iranian delegation at the meeting convinced
Azerbaijan to officially acknowledge verbally and in writing the fact
that chogan is not an Azeri game,” the director of the Department
for Registration of Natural, Historical, and Intangible Heritage at
Iran’s Culture Ministry, Farhad Nazari, said.

He added that the two heavily ethnic Azeri provinces in northwestern
Iran — West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan — had been described by
Baku as “south Azerbaijan.”

“It is through a trick that they presented South Azerbaijan as part
of the Republic of Azerbaijan’s territory and they even presented
some historical evidence to this effect,” Iran’s semiofficial Fars
News Agency reported.

On the eve of the UN vote, Fars had come right out and accused Baku of
having tried “various means of international deception to register
the Iranian game ‘chogan’ with UNESCO as Azerbaijani heritage,”
concluding that “Their methods demonstrate the greed of that country.”

Fars went on:

Their action is against the UN fundamental principles of territorial
integrity. It is not the first time that Iran’s neighbouring countries
claimed the possession of Iran’s cultural heritage; for example their
claims for Molana [Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi, 13th-century
poet] and Nezami [Ganjavi (Azeri: Nizami Gancavi), 12th-century poet]
and now their claim over the Persian game of Chogan. They even use
our territories as their evidence.

But cooler heads appear to have prevailed at the UNESCO meeting,
and documents were amended after Iranian protests, Nazari said.

A further compromise was reportedly reached.

Iran “can also apply for registration of Iranian chogan on the list,”
Nazari said. “In addition, UNESCO experts in the meeting agreed
that chogan would be registered as a multinational element on the
UNESCO list.”

Still, for now, it’s “chovqan” that gets the UN’s urgent assistance.

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible
Cultural Heritage meets annually to examine requests for inclusion on
the UNESCO lists and steer efforts to protect such cultural activities.

ARMENIE
La stabilité mentale de Shant Harutyunyan remise en question

Le chef d’un parti politique nationaliste obscur, qui il y a quelques
semaines avait lancé un sit-in dans le centre de Erevan et avait
ensuite tenu une marche de protestation avec ses partisans sera envoyé
vers un institut psychiatrique au motif qu’il est mentalement
instable. Des militants des droits de l’homme affirment qu’il n’y a
aucune raison pour une telle décision de justice et affirment que les
autorités ont recours à des tactiques de l’époque soviétique pour
faire taire un critique.

La juridiction de droit commun des régions administratives de Kentron
et Nork Marash, lors d’une l’audience à huis clos mardi a satisfait la
requête de l’organisme d’enquête de faire un examen médico-légal de la
santé mentale à Shant Harutyunyan chef du parti Tseghakron et a décidé
de le muter au centre mental de Noubarachen pendant deux mois pour
cette fin.

Shant Harutyunyan, 48 ans, ancien accusé dans « l’affaire des sept »,
a poursuivi un sit-in palce de la liberté pendant plusieurs jours et a
rejoint la marche « Million Mask March » qui comprenait des gens
portant des masques de thétre Guy Fawkes Day à Erevan. Ce qui était
initialement annoncé comme une marche pacifique pour demander la paix,
la justice, la démocratie, la transparence et la liberté a tourné à la
violence alors que les manifestants utilisaient des explosifs et des
btons fabriqués à la main pour affronter les forces de sécurité.
Harutyunyan avait déclaré avant la marche que son objectif était la
résidence présidentielle. Environ 200 manifestants ont été accueillis
par la police anti-émeute et plus de trois douzaines ont été arrêtés à
la suite de la bagarre ; 20 détenus,dont Harutyunyan parmi eux, ont
plus tard été mis en état d’arrestation.

Artur Sakunts membre du bureau de Vanadzor de l’Assemblée des citoyens
d’Helsinki a dit ArmeniaNow que le tribunal a utilisé comme motif pour
interner Harutyunyan le fait qu’après le 1er Mars 2008, il a été
détenu dans une plainte pénale avait été déposée contre lui et
l’examen de sa santé mentale demandée.

« Je ne vois pas pourquoi l’enquêteur a pris la précédente examen de
santé mentale d’Harutyunyan dans les motifs de sa motion. Harutyunyan
a dit clairement tous ses plans, bien réalisé ce qu’il faisait, il
était également bien conscients de toutes les conséquences possibles,
à partir de cette perspective, cela s’inscrit dans la logique d’une
persécution politique » a-t-il dit ajoutant qu’il n’a pas encore été
prouvé que Shant Harutyunyan a en effet utilisé la violence contre un
agent de police.

Selon Sakunts, l’avocat de Harutyunyan devrait protester contre la
décision du tribunal, cependant, il a dit que Shant Harutyunyan n’est
pas disposé à faire des recours dans le domaine judiciaire, parce que
le côté juridique n’est pas pertinent pour lui, car c’est un guerrier
de l’idéologie.

Le défenseur des droits de l’homme a dit que de cette façon un
individu est privé de son droit à la liberté d’expression, a été
présenté au public comme ayant une déficience intellectuelle, ce qui
est très typique de la façon dont les questions ont été traitées
durant la période soviétique.

« L’un des scénarios possibles est de déclarer Harutyunyan comme
quelqu’un ayant un trouble mental, donc mentalement incompétent ; la
poursuite pénale sera suspendue, mais ils pourraient lui attribuer un
traitement médical obligatoire. En conséquence Harutyunyan se verrait
refuser toute présence devant une cour et n’aurait pas la chance de
présenter ses positions, ce qui est la pire chose qui puisse se
produire pour une personnalité politique » a-t-il dit.

Par Gohar Abrahamian

ArmeniaNow

samedi 7 décembre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

GAZPROM PLANNING $90M WORTH INVESTMENT IN ARMENIA

22:13 ~U 05.12.13

Gazprom, the Russian gas company whichpurchased 20% of Hayrusgazard’s
shares earlier this week, is going to invest $90 million in Armenia’s
natural gas sector from 2014 until 2016.

Citing Hayrusgazard, the Russian ITAR-TASS reports that the company
is expected to increase its shares from 80% to 100%.

Hayrusgazard, which is Gazprom’s affiliate in Armenia, is planning
to make investments amounting to $37 billion in the coming three years.

As for 2014-2016, the company intends to spend 13,460,000 Armenian
Drams (approx. $550,000) in that period for the reconstruction and
expansion of the underground gas reserves of Abovyan (Kotayk region).

It also plans to direct resources to the reconstruction of the natural
gas delivery and distribution system.

Armenian News – Tert.am

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS AGREE TO MEET AGAIN EARLY NEXT YEAR

APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 5 2013

[ 05 December 2013 13:35 ]

Heads of delegations from the OSCE co-chairing countries, Azerbaijani
and Armenian foreign ministers have issued a joint statement in Kiev

Kiev. Victoria Dementyeva – APA. Heads of the delegations from the
OSCE co-chairing countries that are attending the meeting of the OSCE
Ministerial Council in Kiev – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
French Minister Delegate for European Affairs Thierry Repentin, U.S.

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria
Nuland, as well as Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian have issued a joint
statement, APA’s correspondent reports from Kiev.

The statement says that the parties have agreed to continue working
towards a fair and peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
basing on the agreements achieved up to now.

The co-chairing countries welcomed the resumption of the dialogue
between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents and expressed confidence
that the upcoming meetings will advance the peace process. They
called on the parties to consider measures that will reduce tension
in the region.

The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers have agreed to meet
again early in 2014 for the preparation of the further high-level
negotiations. The ministers noted that the region’s population expects
progress in resolving the conflict and deserves it. They also highly
assessed the mediation of the co-chairs.

TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

The Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 5 2013

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5
Trend:

Turkey’s top foreign affairs diplomat, Ahmet Davutoglu met on Thursday
with Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Kiev to discuss the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and future steps to be taken regarding
regional peace and stability, World Bulletin reported.

Diplomatic sources say the two ministers met in Brussels for a NATO
meeting but met again following Mammadyarov’s meeting on Wednesday in
Kiev with Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan. Sources also
say that the ministers agreed on close coordination between Turkey
and Azerbaijan.

Davutoglu is in the Ukrainian capital to attend a council of ministers
meeting held by the Organization for Security and Co-operation
in Europe.

Davutoglu also held a meeting with Russian FM Sergei Lavrov yesterday
to discuss efforts in obtaining regional peace in the Caucasus region.

CHRISTMAS `GIFTS` FROM PUTIN TO ARMENIA

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
December 4, 2013 Wednesday

Yerevan/03.11.13/Turan:

Russia welcomes resumption of direct contacts between the leaders of
Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir
Putin at a briefing in Yerevan after talks with ArmenianPresident
Sargsyan.

” I was recently on a visit to Baku. We also talked with the
Azerbaijani President in detail about the prospects of settlement. I
am very pleased to note that the meeting, which was held in Vienna on
November 19, was clearly positive. We hope for common sense and the
desire to settle on both sides, and we will do everything to promote
it within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group,” said Putin.

Asked about Russia’s actions in the case of “aggression” by Azerbaijan
against Nagorno-Karabakh, Putin said that he hoped that blood
would be never shed in Nagorno-Karabakh – either byArmenians or by
Azerbaijanis. “The more often to repeat the words aloud, the less will
be the conditions for a peaceful settlement in the region. We would
like no bloodshed forever in this region of the world, located so close
to the Russian border, – no by Armenian citizens or citizens of the
Republic of Azerbaijan,” Putin said, calling “counterproductive” the
talk about the alleged decisions in case of possible military action.

Putin reported further reduce in the gas prices for Armenia to 189
dollars per thousand cubic meters from the current $ 270. At the same
time, Putin said that Russia sells gas to Europe for $ 500.

Another outcome of the negotiations and agreements with Putin in
Yerevan was that Armenia will be able to buy Russian weapons for the
inside Russian prices. Azerbaijan buys same weapons from Moscow at
international prices that are 30-40% higher.

Note that for the first time in the history the Armenian opposition
met the Russian President with street protests So a few hundred people
organized protests in various parts of Yerevan, urging Putin to get
out of Armenia and criticizing the country’s authorities for refusing
of European integration. -02D-

RUSSIA OFFERS TO BUILD COMMUNICATION SATELLITE FOR ARMENIA

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 4 2013

4 December 2013 – 2:12pm

The Academician M.F. Reshetnikov Information Satellite Systems
(Russia) has offered to build a communication satellite for Armenia,
Deputy Head of the company Deniz Nikolayev said, News.am reports.

The company will be responsible for ground infrastructure,the training
of specialists and technical support for the project. The satellite
will cover Europe, Asia and the CIS. It may be based on the express
model and launched using the Proton and Zenit rockets.

Armenia is searching for investors to build the Armsat
telecommunication satellite. Armenian Minister for Transportation and
Communications Gagik Beglaryan has already met investors in Germany
and Canada.

The Academician M.F. Reshetnikov Information Satellite Systems
(Russia) has offered to build a communication satellite for Armenia,
Deputy Head of the company Deniz Nikolayev said, News.am reports.

The company will be responsible for ground infrastructure,the training
of specialists and technical support for the project. The satellite
will cover Europe, Asia and the CIS. It may be based on the express
model and launched using the Proton and Zenit rockets.

Armenia is searching for investors to build the Armsat
telecommunication satellite. Armenian Minister for Transportation and
Communications Gagik Beglaryan has already met investors in Germany
and Canada.

“SUFFERING” IN BULGARIA AND ARMENIA HIGHEST WORLDWIDE

Gallup.com
Dec 4 2013

At least a quarter considered suffering in 20 out of 143 countries
in 2012

by Jan Sonnenschein

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the third year in a row, Bulgaria in 2012 once
again had the negative distinction of leading the global suffering
list, with 39% of Bulgarians rating their lives poorly enough to be
considered “suffering.” However, this time, Bulgaria is not alone
at the top. Thirty-seven percent of Armenians were suffering, and
Cambodians, Haitians, Hungarians, Malagasy, Macedonians, and Iranians
followed closely behind.

Gallup classifies respondents as “thriving,” “struggling,” or
“suffering” according to how they rate their current and future lives
on a ladder scale with steps numbered from zero to 10 based on the
Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Gallup considers people to be
suffering if they rate their current lives a 4 or lower and their lives
in five years a 4 or lower. The respondents do not label themselves
as suffering.

In 20 out of 143 countries and areas surveyed in 2012, at least a
quarter of the adult population rated their lives poorly enough to
be considered suffering. Those countries span most world regions,
including six places in crisis-hit Europe. Worldwide, one in seven
adults was suffering in 2012. South Asia led the world in suffering
at 24%, followed by 21% in the Balkans and the Middle East and North
Africa regions.

Low Levels of Suffering Mostly Seen in Wealthier Countries

Suffering was 2% or less in 17 countries and areas — most of them
wealthier and more developed countries. Some developing countries also
made this list: Thailand, Venezuela, Nigeria, the Somaliland region,
and Libya. Gallup trend data show suffering in the first four countries
and areas has been consistently low since Gallup started surveying
in these places. The 2012 study in Libya is the only nationally
representative study Gallup conducted so far in this country.

Suffering in Venezuela has always been in the single digits, yet in
2012, suffering was exceptionally low. With fieldwork being conducted
in the run-up to the presidential elections in October 2012, the
government’s spending spree ahead of the elections might at least
partially explain the drop in suffering from 7% in 2011 to 2%.

In Libya, many people were probably still enthused by having rid the
country of Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled in a dictatorship lasting more
than four decades.

Four percent of Americans were suffering in 2012.

Implications

Across countries, measures of well-being are highly related to income,
education levels, and reported disease conditions. Individuals who are
thriving have fewer disease conditions, fewer sick days, and higher
incomes; are more highly educated; and have better work environments.

Residents in countries with higher percentages of thriving respondents
also report that the area they live in is a good place to live for
people of different ethnicities, races, and cultures.

Compared with thriving respondents, struggling respondents are much
more likely to worry about money on a daily basis, and suffering
respondents are less likely to have necessities such as food and
shelter.

Leaders in Bulgaria started to face the likely consequences of high
levels of suffering among the country’s residents in 2013. Protests
that spread throughout the country resulted in the resignation of the
center-right government of Boyko Borisov. However, in the poorest state
in the European Union, conflict over poverty and corruption continues
despite the early elections that happened in May of this year.

For complete data sets or custom research from the more than 150
countries Gallup continually surveys, please contact us.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews with
approximately 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, per country. For
results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say
with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error ranged
from a low of ±1.7 percentage points to ±5.6 percentage points. The
margin of error reflects the influence of data weighting. In addition
to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of
public opinion polls.

For more complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review
Gallup’s Country Data Set details.

See tables at