Political sympathies of voters remained practically unchanged, poll

If early legislative elections took place, the political structure of the future Parliament would not change much, says the Public Opinion Barometer released on May 15.39% of those sampled would vote for the Communist Party, up 2% compared with the previous poll. The Liberal Democratic Party would gain 28% of the vote, down 1%, the Liberal Party – 18%, while the Democratic Party – 12%, down 4%. Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca is the most trusted political figure. He is trusted by 45% of those questioned, up 12%. Chirtoaca is followed by Prime Minister Vlad Filat with 43%, Head of Parliament Marian Lupu with 37%, and the Communist leader Vladimir Voronin also with 37%. 35% of the respondents trust President Nicolae Timofti. Over 60% of those polled consider that the elections in Moldova are not free and fair, while almost 60% would like the country to be ruled by one party. The Church and the media remain the most trusted institutions, but the people’s confidence in the Government, Parliament and President increased considerably. About ¼ of the respondents said that the head of state wasn’t elected in accordance with the Constitution, while 49% believe that he was elected legally. 87% of the people want the President to be elected by direct vote. Almost half of those polled want the election system to be changed so that the MPs are elected in uninominal constituencies. Only 12% would like the current system to be kept. Commissioned by the Public Policy Institute, the Public Opinion Barometer was carried out between April 10 and May 10. It covered a sample of 1,055 persons. The margin of sampling error is 3%.