Poll shows Romania’s ruling coalition losing majority

Poll shows Romania’s ruling coalition losing majority
By bne IntelliNews March 7, 2018

Support for Romania’s senior ruling party, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), has plunged from more than 40% at the general elections in 2016 to 34%, only 1pp above the main opposition party, the National Liberal Party (PNL), according to a poll carried out by Sociopol between February 27 and March 5 and quoted by stiripesurse.ro.

Since returning to power after the December 2016 election, the PSD has had a tumultuous year marked by the collapse of two governments. Support among its main base was also eroded when promised wage hikes were almost completely cancelled out by changes to the social security contributions system. 

In the Sociopol survey, the two-party ruling coalition formed by the PSD with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (Alde) accumulated only 39% of voters’ support, compared to 45% of potential votes received by the main two opposition parties: the PNL (33%) and Save Romania Union (USR, 12%). The high score of the USR compared to around 5% or below revealed by past polls, stands out. 

The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) received a stable 5% share of the vote.

Meanwhile, trust in the ruling coalition’s leader Liviu Dragnea plunged to only 9%, from above 40% at the time of the 2016 general elections. He was surpassed by politicians like former prime minister Victor Ponta (10%) and former president Traian Basescu (11%). 

Notably, the most popular politician within the ruling coalition is Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea (28%), who ranks close to President Klaus Iohannis (29%) and above the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi (25%).

The poll was carried out by phone among a sample of 1,000 voters resulting in a 3.2% standard error.

 
Political parties electoral scores    
Social Democratic Party PSD 34%
National Liberal Party PNL 33%
Save Romania Union USR 12%
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ALDE 5%
Hungariaons' Union UDMR 5%
Independent Independent 4%
Popular Party Movement PMP 3%
Romanian Ecologyst Party PER 2%
Great Romania Party PRM 1%
Other Altii 1%
source: stiripesurse.ro    

 

Trust in politicians    
Raed Arafat head of Emergency Medical Service 62%
Klaus Iohannis  President (formerly PNL) 29%
Gabriela Firea  PSD, Bucharest mayor 28%
Laura Codruta Kovesi  anticorruption prosecutor 25%
Mugur Isarescu  central bank governor 20%
Dacian Ciolos  former PM, Romania 100  18%
Calin Popescu Tariceanu  Alde president 16%
Viorica Dancila  PSD, PM 15%
Lia Olguta Vasilescu  PSD, labour minister 14%
Traian Basescu  PMP, former President 11%
Victor Ponta  PSD 10%
Ludovic Orban  PNL president 9%
Liviu Dragnea  PSD president 9%
source: stiripesurse.ro    

 

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