Far-right party AUR and Social Democratic Party top preferences in Romania, survey shows

Over a third of Romanians, around 35%, would vote for the opposition party Alliance for the Union of Romanians, or AUR, according to data from a CURS survey published on Sunday, November 2. A further 24% of votes would support the governing Social Democratic Party, or PSD.

The two other parties included in the current centrist government coalition, the National Liberal Party (or PNL) and Save Romania Union (or USR), come in third and fourth, with 15% and 10%, respectively.

Another far-right opposition party, the Young People’s Party (or POT), comes in fifth with 7%. Finally, the Hungarian minority party UDMR and the far-right party SOS Romania would score 4% each.

The findings are concerning for the current coalition, which hinges on the cooperation of the Social Democratic Party, the largest actor, with the three other center-right parties, namely PNL, USR, and UDMR.

Aside from the support given to parties, around half of the respondents (49%) would agree, to some extent, with the suspension of president Nicușor Dan, while 41% oppose the idea, according to the same survey.

In addition, 37% believe that the evidence is insufficient for sending former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu to trial, either for attempted coup or far-right, legionary propaganda.

“The results suggest that a large part of the public does not yet have a clear opinion regarding the case, indicating uncertainty and caution in assessing legal and media information,” CURS noted.

Around “75.2% of AUR voters and 72.2% of POT voters support the possible suspension of president Nicușor Dan. In addition, 40.6% of PSD voters and 25.4% of PNL voters would also support such a motion,” the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology also reported.

According to the cited press release, “these data confirm the alignment of the AUR and POT electorates in the pro-suspension camp, while PNL and PSD supporters are more divided, reflecting a complex dynamic of current political perception.”

The CURS survey was conducted on a representative sample of 1,036 adult respondents through face-to-face interviews at their homes.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | George Calin)