Frontrunner of Romania`s scrapped presidential election tops recent opinion poll

(MENAFN) Calin Georgescu, the right-wing frontrunner in Romania’s annulled presidential election from November, has topped the latest opinion poll ahead of the rescheduled vote in May. The Avangarde survey predicts Georgescu, who was previously leading the first-round vote with 22.94%, will perform even better this time, with projections showing him reaching 38% support.

Georgescu, a critic of NATO, the EU, and aid to Ukraine, had his election victory nullified by Romania's Constitutional Court, which cited irregularities in his campaign. His approval rating in the latest poll surpasses that of Crin Antonescu, the pro-EU coalition candidate, who is forecasted to receive 25% of the vote, and Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who could run as an independent with around 17% support.

The question remains whether Georgescu will be permitted to run in May, given the controversies surrounding his previous campaign, including false claims that he received foreign funding, particularly from Russia. An investigation suggested the allegations were linked to the pro-Western National Liberal Party (PNL). The European Court of Human Rights recently rejected Georgescu’s appeal to overturn the annulment of the election, ruling the case outside its jurisdiction.

The poll, conducted from January 10 to 16 with 1,354 respondents, reflects a wide range of social and age groups in Romania.

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