Ciprian Ciucu, answer for Drula: “We do not compile surveys/ USR has its own research and does not make it public”. Why didn't Bolojan pay all the debts to the polling houses

Ciprian Ciucu, the PNL candidate for the Capital City Hall, conveyed to his counter-candidate Cătălin Drula (USR) that the liberals are not “shaping” the polls in their favor, after Drula accused him of using this method. At the same time, PNL leader Ilie Bolojan said, in The News Man podcast, by journalist Radu Andrei Tudor, that he refused to pay all the party's debts to polling houses because of the big errors they had.

Ciucu's statement comes as a result of the reaction of Cătălin Drula, as well as that of Vlad Voiculescu, who claimed that the recent INSCOP survey on the intention to vote in the elections in Bucharest represents a manipulation made for the benefit of the PNL and its candidate.

Ciucu: USR has its own survey

“I did not understand Mr. Drula and Voiculescu's statement 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 did not understand that statement. It would be a shame for us to come up with false surveys. We have made mistakes in the past and, precisely to gain long-term trust, we do not fabricate surveys,” Ciprian Ciucu told The News Man.

He recalled that, together with Ilie Bolojan, they decided at the beginning of this year that the PNL would no longer publish polls rigged in its favor and in the future would only use the services of some polling institutes whose results were at least roughly confirmed by the elections.

“There are two types of polls: some paid by I don't know who and others assumed. We had polls ordered by the PNL. On these polls there were differences between me and Mr. Băluță – who was within the margin of error – and the other competitors,” Ciprian Ciucu also said.

“I paid part of the debts, but I penalized them”

Present with Ciucu, Ilie Bolojan said that he refused to fully pay the debts to the polling houses, left by the former leadership of the party, as the results of the polls were refuted with big differences from the results of last year's elections.

“At the end of last year, after I became the president of the PNL, the party had some debts, including polling houses for exit polls, polls done in the week before the elections… A week before there was a score, at the exit poll there was another score, and after the official counting was completed, a completely different score. In the discussions I had with the representatives of the companies, I asked them if they had sociological malpractice insurance. They looked wide-eyed at me. Either the surveys were done from the office, or they are not in order. I paid a part of the debts, and then I said to work with houses that did not compromise”, said Ilie Bolojan.

The INSCOP survey published on Thursday shows a changed hierarchy compared to other sociological research. Ciprian Ciucu leads with 27.1%, followed by Daniel Băluță, 24%. For the first time, the 3rd and 4th places were reversed. Thus, Anca Alexandrescu, an independent candidate supported by the AUR-PNTCD alliance, climbed the podium with 21.3%, and Cătălin Drula fell to 4th place, with 12.1%.

The accusations coming from the USR

USR MEP, Vlad Voiculescu, the honorary adviser to President Nicușor Dan, accused Thursday that “INSCOP delivers for PNL” and that “rigged polls” are published.

Also, Cătălin Drula accused the mayor of sector 6, the liberal candidate for the Capital City Hall, Ciprian Ciucu, of trying to manipulate the electorate with sociological research regarding next month's election.

“It's 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 played with criminal files and that he is afraid. Ciprian, not like that! That's not how the fight goes, with the means you also used in Ciucă's campaign. You have the dignity and manhood to come to a debate! Come in front of the people and leave the manipulations and arrogance”, he said Drula.