The Presidency is the most trusted political institution in Romania, almost 44% of Romanians saying they have confidence and great confidence in this institution, according to a recent survey conducted by Inscop.

This shows a significant change compared to the previous survey, in October, according to which the presidency was only fifth among the most trusted political institutions, with only 18% of Romanians saying they trust the President.

Klaus Iohannis’ victory in the November 16 presidential elections has changed the way Romanians see the Presidential institution. Iohannis himself is now the most trusted public figure in Romania, surpassing central bank’s Governor Mugur Isarescu, who has led this ranking for many years.

About 38% of Romanians say they trust the City Hall, the Constitutional Court comes third, with 36.4%, followed by the County Council – 26%, the Government – 25.5%, the Parliament – 19.7% and political parties – 12%.

When it comes to executive institutions, most of Romanians, namely 76.1%, trust the Army. The Gendarmerie comes second with a share of 65.3%, followed by the National Anticorruption Directory DNA – 55.8%, the Romanian Intelligence Service SRI – 52.6%, the Police – 51.4%, Romania’s Central Bank BNR – 51.3%, the Foreign Intelligence Service SIE – 46.8% and the National Integrity Agency ANI – 39.2%.

Romanians have started to show more trust this year to the security and justice institutions, such as the Army and the DNA. In January 2014, only 44% of Romanians said they trusted the anticorruption directorate, compared to 56% in November.

The Church is the most trusted institution among the ones in the social/private category, with a share of 60.6%, followed by Universities – 43.8% and the Media – 32.5%.

When it comes to international institutions, most of Romanians trust the European Union – 56.6%, NATO – 54.6%, the UN – 51.6%, the European Commission – 50.8%, the European Parliament – 50.8%, World Bank – 39.8% and the International Monetary Fund IMF – 30%.

The study was conducted between November 27 and December 2 on a sample of over 1,000 people, at the request of Adevarul newspaper.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com