Ciprian Ciucu, the PNL candidate for the Capital City Hall, rejects the accusations that the liberals “do hair” the polls and points out that USR has its own research, not publicly represented. At the same time, PNL leader Ilie Bolojan explains why the party has not paid all the debts to the polling houses.
Ciprian Ciucu, the PNL candidate for the Capital City Hall, denies manipulating the polls PHOTO: Profimedia
Ciprian Ciucu responded to the critics of Cătălin Drula and Vlad Voiculescu, who recently contested the Inscop survey on the intention to vote in the elections in Bucharest, accusing the PNL of manipulating the results in favor of its candidate.
“I did not understand Mr. Drula’s exit and Voiculescu because it is not our survey (…) I reject these accusations and USR has its own sociological research that it does not make public and that its members do not know. So I didn’t understand that statement. We would also be ashamed to come up with fake polls. We’ve been wrong in the past, and precisely to gain long-term trust, we don’t create surveysCiucu said on The News Man podcast.
He explained that, together with Ilie Bolojan, he decided that the PNL should abandon the publication of manipulated polls and only use polling institutes with confirmed results, even approximately, of the elections. “There are two types of surveys: some paid for by I don’t know who and some taken. we had surveys commissioned by PNL. On these polls there were differences between me and Mr. Baluță, who was within the margin of error and the other competitors“, Ciucu also said.
Bolojan: “I paid part of the debts, but I penalized them”
Present with Ciucu, PNL leader Ilie Bolojan explained why the party did not fully pay the debts to the polling houses, left by the former leadership. “At the end of last year, after I became the president of the PNL, the party had some debts, including to polling houses for exit polls, surveys done in the week before the elections… A week before there was one score, at the exit poll there was another score, and after the official count was completeduh, totally different score. In discussions with company representatives, I asked them if they had sociological malpractice insurance. They looked at me with wide eyes. Either they are polls taken from the office or they are wrong. I paid part of the debts, but I penalized them. And then we said to work with houses that did not compromise“, said Bolojan.
The Inscop survey and USR reactions
The Inscop survey published on Thursday shows a significant change in voters’ preferences: Ciprian Ciucu leads with 27.1%, followed by Daniel Băluță with 24%. For the first time, the 3rd and 4th places were reversed, Anca Alexandrescu climbing the podium with 21.3%, and Cătălin Drula falling to the 4th place, with 12.1%.
MEP Vlad Voiculescu criticized the poll, accusing that “Inscop delivers for PNL” and that it is published “rigged polls”. Also, Cătălin Drula accused Ciucu of manipulation: “It is ugly that Ciprian Ciucu uses this. He, who told me so many times that the PNL tends to get confused with the State, that dirty games are being played with criminal cases and that he is afraid. Ciprian, not like that! This is not how the fight goes, with the means you also used in Ciucă’s campaign. You have the dignity and manliness to come to a debate! Come in front of people and leave the manipulations and arrogance“.
