Almost half of Romanians believe Ciolos government is politically controlled

Recent data from INSCOP reveal that 47.3 percent of Romanians believe that the Ciolos government is secretly controlled by political parties. The rest of the population is divided between 28.4 percent who believe it is an independent organism and 24.3 percent who did not answer/did not know.

Of the two main parties, the National Liberal Party (PNL) is associated by most people with the government (53.3 percent), while 17.9 percent place the two groups in opposition. At the other end, 30.4 percent of respondents say that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) is connected with the Ciolos cabinet, while 42.3 percent place the party in opposition with the government.

This might explain why, though a majority of respondents say they prefer a technocratic government (50.5 percent versus 32.1 percent who think political governments bring more democratic legitimacy), the share of people who trust the Ciolos cabinet (40.8 percent) is close in value as the share of people who don’t (35.3 percent).

When asked whether this government will be better than Ponta’s, answers came even closer to equality, 34.6 percent of respondents trusting it would be and 34.3 percent saying it wouldn’t.

Still, 37.2 percent of the people polled said they would want a technocratic government after the elections planned in 2016. A slightly smaller share (34 percent) of the population want a political formation.

The survey ” INSCOP Barometer – The truth about Romania” was conducted between November 26 and December 2, 2015. The sample was of 1,071 people and is representative for Romania’s population aged 18 and over. The sample was validated on official data of Census 2011. The questionnaires were applied in 40 counties and Bucharest, in a total of 89 municipalities (cities, towns, small towns and villages).

Natalia Martian