Reformist PAS still tops preferences in Republic of Moldova but majority oppose union with Romania
Moldovan president Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) remains at the top of voter preferences for the parliamentary elections, according to an IMAS poll conducted in June. The same survey showed that over half of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova would oppose unification with Romania in a referendum.
The reformist PAS has the trust of 20.6% of respondents, according to the survey, while 14.9% would vote for the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova, and 10.2% for the "Democracy at Home" Party.
The pro-EU camp in Moldova does not enjoy a similar advantage when it comes to the next presidential elections. Roughly 13.9% of Moldovans say they would vote for pro-Russian Igor Dodon, the leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), for president, followed by Vasile Costiuc, president of the "Democracy at Home" Party - 9.9%, Renato Usatîi (Our Party) - 7.2%, Alexandr Stoianoglo - 6.6%, and Igor Grosu (PAS) - 6.5%.
Around a quarter of respondents, 24.1%, said they did not have an option for president. Maia Sandu cannot run a third time, according to the Moldovan constitution.
The IMAS poll also revealed that more than half of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova would oppose unification with Romania in a referendum. More exactly, the study showed that 54% of respondents would vote against unification, while only 33% would vote in favor of it.
Regarding a possible referendum on the Republic of Moldova's accession to the European Union, 48% of citizens would vote "for," while 34% would vote "against." By contrast, only 24% would support the country's accession to NATO, while 58% would vote against.
As for the direction of the Republic of Moldova's foreign policy, nearly half of those interviewed (49%) believe it should be "balanced, both with Russia and with the Europeans". Another 29% favor a pro-European orientation, while 12% would prefer a pro-Russia policy. Only 5% of citizens support a "pro-unification with Romania" policy.
At the same time, Russia's influence in the Republic of Moldova is perceived as "very strong" or "fairly strong" by 40% of respondents. By contrast, 52% consider Moscow's influence to be "very weak" or "fairly weak".
The poll was conducted between June 10 and 20, commissioned by Independent News, on a stratified, probabilistic, two-stage sample of 1,015 respondents aged 18 and over, representative of the adult population of the Republic of Moldova, excluding Transnistria. The interviews were conducted at respondents' homes by 33 operators from the IMAS network, in Romanian and Russian. The maximum margin of sampling error is ±3.1%.
(Photo source: Partidul Acțiune și Solidaritate on Facebook)
