Romania: Opinion Poll Shows Candidates to Enter Second Round of Presidential Elections

The latest opinion poll conducted at the national level between August 6 and 22 indicates that several candidates can advance to the second round of the presidential elections.
According to CURS, the research entity conducting the opinion poll, if the presidential election were held next Sunday, voters would vote for the following candidates:

Marcel Ciolacu (PSD) – 32%. Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Socialist Party (PSD), is the last candidate to announce his entry into the presidential race this autumn. He seems to have the best chances to advance to the second round and become the future President. The last Socialist President in Romania was Ion Iliescu, from 2000 to 2004.

Nicolae Ciucă (PNL) – 19%. Nicolae Ciuca is the leader of the Liberals, PNL, and he has started a massive campaign at the national level, displaying a reportedly written book called A Soldier Serving the Country. The country has yet to arrive in bookstores, but no one has seen it.

Mircea Geoană (independent) – 15%. Mircea Geoana, the current Secretary General of NATO, is still undecided on whether he will or will not enter the presidential race.

George Simion (AUR) – 14%. The nationalist leader of AUR is way below expectations. He’s started a campaign which is mocked on all the social media platforms. He promises apartments for all Romanians for around EUR 30,000, a lot below the price of a one-bedroom apartment in the cities.

Elena Lasconi (Save Romania Union)—11%. USR, the so-called “progressists,” proposed the surprising candidate Elena Lasconi. She was involved in an internal scandal when she admitted that she voted for the traditional family during the last referendum, which contradicts the progression promoted by USR.

Diana Sosoaca (SOS) – 5%. The ultra-nationalist leader of SOS, who recently shocked the European Parliament, keeps her voting percentage of 5%, enough for her to bring her party to the Romanian Parliament.

The first round of the presidential elections will take place on Sunday, November 24. The top two finishers will participate in the second round, scheduled for December 8.