IGOR DODON AND MAIA SANDU LIKELY TO PASS INTO SECOND ROUND – BAROMETER

The new President of Moldova will be elected only in the second round of voting, and this privilege will be aspired most probably by Party of Socialists leader Igor Dodon and Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) Chairperson Maia Sandu, judging by the results of the October 2016 Public Opinion Barometer poll carried out by the CBS-AXA Center for Sociological Researches and Marketing on the request of the Institute for Public Policy (IPP).

It was said at the presentation of poll results on Thursday that if a presidential election were held next Sunday, Igor Dodon would receive 27% ballots, Maia Sandu – 9.3%, DA Platform leader Andrei Nastase – 8.1%, Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu – 7.5%, Dmitry Ciubasenco of Our Party – 5.6%, European People’s Party of Moldova Chairman, former Prime Minister Iurie Leanca – 1.7%. All the rest presidential candidates would poll less than 1%.

According to the Barometer, 42.8% interviewed citizens will “definitely go” to the polls, 13.2% said – “most probably yes”, and 4.3% – “most probably, I will not go”. And should a second round of voting happen, 67.5% stated they would necessarily come to vote, and 8.1% said they would not take part.

IPP Executive Director Arcadie Barbarosie stressed that this research was carried out yet before it had been decided that Maia Sandu would be further running as the common candidate of Right opposition forces.

“So now, in the light of a new emerged situation, research results can be indeed interpreted differently. But according to our estimates, not less than two-thirds of the people who were going to vote for DA Platform leader Andrei Nastase, will now vote for Maia Sandu. According to our findings, Igor Dodon will hardly be able to win in the first round, as he hopes so much. Therefore, there will be a second round”, said Dr. Barbarosie.

The research also revealed citizens’ preferences at various possible combinations of election finalists, and in particular established that the highest voter turnout will be if the second round will be a battle between Igor Dodon and Maia Sandu, said the IPP Director.

“In such case, Sandu will poll 24.1% and Dodon – 40.8%. If these will be Lupu and Dodon in the second round, then the Democrat may count on 13.2% and the Socialist – 41.2%. And if the finalists are Sandu and Lupu – 30.5% and 15.7%”, said Arcadie Barbarosie.

Asked whom of active Moldovan politicians the respondents would like to see on the presidential post, 23.4% of them said – Igor Dodon. Maia Sandu received 9.3%, Marian Lupu – 7.3%, Andrei Nastase – 6.7%, Renato Usatii – 4.5%, Dmitry Ciubasenco – 2.3%, Iurie Leanca – 1.8%, and Mihai Ghimpu – 0.7%.

The interviewed voters stated that they trust the most in: Igor Dodon – 21%, Sandu – 8%, Nastase and Usatii – 6.3% each, Lupu – 6.1%, Vladimir Voronin – 2%, Leanca – 1.1%, and Mihai Ghimpu – 0.7%.

Citizens’ least trust is in the outgoing head of state – President Nicolae Timofti: 94.3% interviewed respondents stated they did not trust him. Liberal Party leader Mihai Ghimpu is mistrusted by 92.7% Moldovans, and the so-called “Executive Coordinator” of the ruling coalition Vlad Plahotniuc – 91.3%.

The Barometer was carried out on October 6-16 with the financial assistance of the Soros Moldova Foundation and of the East Europe Foundation Moldova in 82 various-type populated areas across the country, and it involved 1,109 adult citizens eligible to vote. The pollsters are saying that error should not exceed ±2.8%.

Such Barometer researches have been made every 6 months for more than 10 years now. The Barometer is reputed to be the most objective and accurate one among all the rest opinion researches in Moldova.