Poll says 58% of Romanians will attend referendum, sources say

Some 58% of Romanian voters will attend a referendum the Parliament has called for suspended President Traian Basescu’s dismissal, according to a new study by pollster Insomar which was not yet made public, according to sources within the Democratic Party-PD, the main political group backing the head of state.

Some 69% of the expected participants would vote against Basescu’s ousting, the sources said.

The PD has engaged in the referendum campaign in support of Basescu, who led the party until elected President in the 2004 presidential elections.

50% plus one of those who vote in the referendum will have the decision whether the suspended head of state remains in office or not.

The May 19 referendum was called by the Parliament in late April in an attempt to remove Basescu from office after opponent MPs found him having breached the Constitution on several accounts - despite the Constitutional Court had said he had not done so.

The same poll, as quoted by the PD sources, shows the PD is leading in voters’ electoral preferences with 39%, followed by the opposition Social Democrats (PSD) with 19%, the governing Liberals (PNL) with 9% and the New Generation Party of populist businessman-politician Gigi Becali with 11%.

HotNews.ro, May 3, 2007