PTI’s popularity down, PML-N’s up: IRI survey

The popularity of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was once head and shoulders clear of others, has gone down according to a new survey, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has taken the top position.
This was revealed by the International Republican Institute (IRI) survey based on the opinions of six thousand people from various segments of society about political parties and the public problems in the July-August period.
To a question which party would they vote for if elections for the National Assembly were held next week, 28 percent of the people said they would vote for the PML-N, 24 percent for the PTI, 14 percent for the Pakistan People’s Party and three percent for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Compared with the IRI’s February survey, the PML-N’s popularity has increased by 3.7 percent, while the PTI’s popularity has sharply dropped down by 22.6 percent and the PPP’s by 12.5 percent.
The replies to this question, if taken province-wise, the PML-N was on the top in Punjab with 43 percent people supporting the party, 27 percent for the PTI and seven percent for the PPP.
Against the February results, the PML-N support has surged, as their voters rose to 43 percent from 41 percent, while the PTI’s came down to 27 percent from 33 percent and those of PPP dropped to seven percent from nine percent.
About 79 percent people vowed to cast vote in the next election, 12 percent did not want to vote, while six percent were not yet fully ready.
PTI, ANP reject IRI survey: Meanwhile, PTI and ANP expressed strong reservations over the IRI survey report. PTI chief Imran Khan admitted that his party’s popularity has witnessed a decline of 10 percent.
Talking to a private TV channel, the cricket-turned-politician did not accept the 22 percent figure of the IRI survey, but admitted that his party’s popularity did go down but only by 10 percent.
The PTI chief maintained that ‘these voters did not turn in favor of some other party’ and that his party would soon be able to reverse this trend. He said the ruling Pakistan People’s Party has also gone down.
ANP spokesman Senator Zahid Khan said that his party rejects the IRI survey, adding that it could not be considered the view point of the people of Pakistan. He said such surveys were carried out for self publicity. He said the ANP had made tremendous contributions by giving relief to the people and established nine universities in the province to promote education. PML-N leader Senator Pervez Rashid said the survey had proved the popularity of their party and people’s confidence in it.