Far-right leader George Simion leads Romanian presidential race as new poll shows tight battle for runoff

Far-right party leader George Simion is leading in Romania’s presidential race, according to a new CURS poll conducted between March 19 and 22 and quoted by Hotnews.ro. The survey, the first since the final confirmation of candidates, places the AUR leader at 29% in the first round of voting.

A previous AtlasIntel poll also had George Simion as the frontrunner, with over 30%.

However, the battle for second place remains tight, with Crin Antonescu, the PSD-PNL-UDMR candidate, polling at 22%, while independent candidate Nicușor Dan, the general mayor of Bucharest, follows with 18%. This result contradicts the AtlasIntel poll from March 13-15, which put Dan at 26% and Antonescu at 17.9%.

Victor Ponta, a former prime minister now running as an independent, ranks fourth in the CURS poll with 13%, ahead of USR candidate Elena Lasconi at 12%. Both have gained ground compared to the AtlasIntel survey, which placed them at 9% and 3.9%, respectively.

Candidates outside the top five collectively hold 6% of voter preferences, while around 30% of respondents remain undecided or plan to abstain.

The CURS poll surveyed 1,203 adults using telephone interviews, with a margin of error of ±2.8%.

In related news, the Central Electoral Bureau has determined the order of candidates on the ballot for the May election. George Simion will appear first, followed by Crin Antonescu in second place, while Nicușor Dan will be last on the list (11th position). Elena Lasconi, Victor Ponta, and other contenders, including Cristian Terheș and Silviu Predoiu, have been assigned positions in between.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu)