In Romania the first round of the presidential election will be held on 22 November, with a likely second round on 6 December.

Here is the result of an opinion poll held between 22 July and 2 August organised by CURS – Center for Urban and Regional Sociology. (The results of an Insomar poll are pretty similar).

The question is: ‘If a presidential election were to be held this Sunday, whom would you vote for?’

The incumbent, Traian Băsescu, of the PDL has a comfortable lead. Mircea Geoană, the candidate and leader of the PDL’s coalition partner, the PSD, comes in an easy second. So, they will most likely win through to the second ballot.

The same poll then reports that President Băsescu and Mircea Geoană are neck-and-neck at the second ballot with a small but unreliable advantage for Băsescu. So, competition will be fierce over the next couple of months.

Sources: CURS