SOFIA: Bulgarian Premier Boyko Borisov is basking in overwhelming public support 100 days after taking office, but observers say he now needs to deliver solidly on pledges to fight endemic corruption and crime.

The down-to-earth Borisov, who still draws crowds in his daily public appearances, enjoys an approval rating of 75 percent, according to a recent poll by the Mediana agency.

His right-wing government’s “will to combat corruption” has the backing of 78 percent of the population, according to another poll by the state-run NCIOM institute.

A former firefighter, bodyguard and police general, Borisov has developed an image as a strong hand in the fight against crime and graft, capable of convincing Brussels of Sofia’s ability to prevent any misuse of EU money.

But others are less than convinced.

“Boyko, turn the words into deeds,” the left-wing Sega daily newspaper urged on Monday.

“Borisov gets people on his side by constantly declaring, in the ordinary language of the masses, that the situation is very bad but his government is doing its best. People see him as one of them,” political analyst Evgeniy Daynov told AFP.

“He demonstrates resolution and political will” to solve problems, he added.

But after all the rhetoric, observers are now waiting for results.

“We see a will on the part of the government and the prime minister to clean the skeletons from the closet,” French State Secretary on European Affairs Pierre Lellouche said during a visit to Bulgaria in September.

“It is only natural that everyone awaits the results,” he added.

The first decisions of the new government, including a reform of the customs agency to curb smuggling, cuts in the bloated state administration, and a promise not to freeze pensions, contributed to the cabinet’s popularity.