Polls suggest Romania's ruling coalition should not replace its presidential candidate
<p>Two polls released on March 5 in Romania support the idea that the ruling coalition formed by Liberals (PNL), Social Democrats (PSD), and Hungarian party UDMR should not replace its presidential candidate Crin Antonescu.</p>

<p>The polls were published as Antonescu's position as a presidential candidate seems at risk: on the one hand, his scores in the polls are weak, and on the other, acting president Ilie Bolojan is being circulated as a possibly better alternative.</p>

<p>Under one of the two polls published on March 5, far-right politician Calin Georgescu (41.1% voting intentions) is followed by Crin Antonescu (18.5%), Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan (12.4%), and USR leader and Elena Lasconi (7.5%). Bolojan is not listed among the candidates.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The poll was carried out for the team of consultants advising Crin Antonescu and published by <a href="https://www.g4media.ro/calin-georgescu-cotat-cu-411-din-voturi-la-primul-tur-al-prezidentialelor-crin-antonescu-185-nicusor-dan-124-sondaj-comandat-de-consultantii-de-campanie-ai-lui-crin-antonescu.html?mc_cid=b2671c865c&amp;mc_eid=cd1f92f96c" rel="noopener" target="_blank">G4media.ro</a>.</p>

<p>In the other survey published on March 5, carried out by Avangarde and published by <a href="https://hotnews.ro/romanii-nu-cred-ca-ilie-bolojan-este-pregatit-sa-candideze-la-presedintia-romaniei-arata-un-sondaj-avangarde-diferenta-semnificativa-intre-nicusor-dan-si-elena-lasconi-in-preferinta-pentru-candidat-1917347" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hotnews.ro</a>, more scenarios are being tested.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Among the findings revealed by the poll, 56% of those surveyed believe that Ilie Bolojan "is not ready to run in the presidential elections in May," while 29% believe that he could be a suitable candidate for the highest office in the Romanian state. No comparable data on the "readiness to run in the presidential elections" are provided for the other presidential candidates for comparability.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Under another finding revealed by the poll, Bucharest's mayor Nicusor Dan (and founder of the reformist party USR) is seen as a better candidate for USR compared to even USR president Elena Lasconi. The survey indicates a significant difference between Dan and Lasconi. 34% of Romanians prefer the current mayor of the capital, while only 9% of respondents would opt for Elena Lasconi.</p>

<p>The survey also shows a significant decrease in Romanians' trust in the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR). Thus, almost 60% of respondents stated that they have very little or little trust in the CCR. Only 14% of Romanians have a lot or a lot of trust in the CCR.</p>

<p><em>iulian@romania-insider.com</em></p>

<p><em>(Photo source: <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cateyeperspective/Dreamstime.com</a>)</em></p>