* Leftist government has 48 pct support
* Most other surveys predict it would win outright majority
* Election is due on Dec. 9
BUCHAREST, Nov 8 (Reuters) – The popularity of Romania’s
leftist government has slipped to just below 50 percent, but it
should still win a Dec. 9 parliamentary election, an opinion
poll showed on Thursday.
The survey, by pollster CSOP, showed 48 percent of Romanians
would vote for Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s Social Liberal
Union (USL) party.
Other recent surveys have put USL’s support at above 50
percent.
If the USL fails to win an outright majority, analysts say
centre-right President Traian Basescu, who appoints the prime
minister, may try to nominate one of his allies to form a
coalition, prolonging uncertainty after the vote.
The USL failed to impeach Basescu earlier this year in a
bitter political battle that raised concerns over the rule of
law in the European Union’s second-poorest member state.
The upcoming election has stoked uncertainty over
policymaking and about how closely Romania will stick to the
terms of its 5-billion-euro International Monetary Fund-backed
aid deal.
The Alliance for the Romanian Right (ARD), a new grouping of
centre-right parties dominated by the opposition Democrat
Liberals – allies of Basescu who are unpopular for past
austerity measures – had 24 percent support, the poll showed.
The populist party of media tycoon Dan Diaconescu, who
advocates steep tax cuts, came third with 14 percent.
The poll, commissioned by newspaper Evenimentul Zilei,
surveyed 1,006 people between Nov. 2-5 and had a margin of error
of 3.1 percent.
DATE INSTITUTE USL ARD PPDD UDMR
Nov 2012 CSOP 48.0% 24.0% 14.0% 6.0%
Oct 2012 IMAS 57.4% 16.0% 14.9% 6.4%
Oct 2012 Public 52.1% 21.3% 11.7% 6.0%
Affairs
USL PD-L PPDD UDMR
Sept 2012 IMAS 55.0% 17.8% 15.5% 5.3%
Aug 2012 IMAS 57.1% 17.8% 14.1% 5.8%
Aug 2012 IRES 54.0% 23.0% 10.0% 5.0%
July 2012 CURS 63.0% 19.0% 9.0% 6.0%
June 2012 IMAS 66.6% 12.7% 9.8% 4.3%
Notes:
USL – the ruling alliance of Social Democrats and Liberals
PDL – the opposition Democrat-Liberal party
ARD – new centre-right opposition alliance dominated by PDL
PPDD – Populist People’s Party of media tycoon Dan Diaconescu
UDMR – Ethnic Hungarian party, junior ruling coalition member
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
