CHISINAU. Sept 23 (Interfax) - Incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu leads the presidential race, according to a social research released by iData on Monday.
The poll's results show that if a presidential election was held this coming Sunday, 26.8% of respondents would vote for Sandu, Our Party chairman Renato Usatii would get 12.7%, and former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo would get 11.2%. Former Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev with 6.3%, former head of Gagauzia Irina Vlah with 6.1%, and former Prime Minister Ion Chicu with 4.1% follow them with a large gap. The other potential candidates would get under 2%.
According to the study, 58.7% of respondents have already decided whom they will vote for in the election and 34.6% have not.
The politicians' trust rating is also topped by Sandu (25.5%). She is followed by fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor with 9.9% and Renato Usatii with 9.6%. A total of 14.7% do not trust any of the politicians, and 10% are undecided.
A total of 66.7% of respondents have already decided how they will vote in a referendum on Moldova's European integration while 25.9% have not. When asked how they would vote if the referendum was held this coming Sunday, 45.9% said they are ready to vote for amendments to the constitution, and 39% said they would vote against them. Another 15.1% said they were undecided or said they would not vote.
According to iData, most citizens support integration with the European Union: 56.1% of respondents support Moldova's integration and 34.2% said they do not. A total of 35.7% of respondents support a merger of Moldova and Romania, while 54.8% are standing against it.
A total of 42.6% of respondents support Moldova's close relations with Russia and the EU states, 42.5% do not, and the rest are undecided. More than half of the respondents (51%) do not support the idea of recognizing the independence of Transdniestria, 25.9% support it, and 23.1% are undecided.
The poll was conducted on September 13-18. More than 1,000 people were surveyed.
The presidential election will be held in Moldova on October 20. A constitutional referendum on Moldova's accession to the EU will be held simultaneously with the election.