Who is the politician in whom the people of Bucharest say they have the most confidence. COURSE survey
Bucharest. Photo source: Dreamstime.com
Politicians hit a wall of pessimism in the Capital. The people of Bucharest are dissatisfied with the direction in which the country, but also the city, is heading, having a negative perception regarding the people who occupy important positions, according to a CURS survey published on Sunday.
- The CURS survey, polling institute owned by Iosif Buble, was conducted on a sample of 1,069 respondents from the adult population resident in Bucharest, aged 18 and over, by telephone interview, between February 12-20, 2026. The margin of error is ±3%, at a 95% confidence level.
- The data were validated based on the latest INS statistics, being weighted according to the age structure of the electorate, according to CURS.
Pessimism dominates in the capital
The inhabitants of the capital show a high level of mistrust towards the direction in which Romania is heading, 75% of them being convinced that it is wrong, according to CURS research. Only 18% are satisfied while 7% could not appreciate.
Although Bucharest's situation is viewed with a shade of optimism in addition to that of the country, dissatisfaction remains the majority at the local level as well (65%). 28% of the respondents think that the city is moving in the right direction, and another 7% could not appreciate it.
This state of mind is also reflected in the popularity ratings of well-known politicians at the local and national level, where negative perception prevails.
President Nicușor Dan enjoys the highest trust (33%), followed by Mayor General Ciprian Ciucu (29%), both politicians being negatively evaluated by over 60% of respondents. And Daniel Băluță, the mayor of Sector 4, is positively appreciated by 25% of those who answered, compared to 70% who made a negative assessment.
The leaders of the governing coalition Sorin Grideanu (PSD), Ilie Bolojan (PNL) and Dominic Fritz (USR) have the lowest popularity ratings among Bucharest residents, 23%, 22% and 19% respectively.
The leaders of the parties in power also register percentages of no confidence that exceed the 70% threshold.
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CURS, the company of a journalist married to a deputy
The Center for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS) was founded in 1996 and is fully owned by former journalist Iosif Buble. He is also the owner of Online Research SRL, which also deals with polling activities, writes the Europa Liberă website.
In 2022, CURS had a turnover of almost one million euros and a profit of approximately 800,000 euros. CURS obtained part of the revenues and contracts with the state, the publication also writes.
Iosif Buble was a journalist at Antena 3 and has, in addition to public opinion polling institutes, the website www.știripesurse.ro.
Iosif Buble is married to Diana Tușa, current PSD deputy, former PNL parliamentarian.
The elections of December 7, 2024 for the Capital City Hall were won by the PNL candidate Ciprian Ciucu, with over 36% of the votes. The PSD candidate, Daniel Băluță, finished in 3rd place, with 20.5% of the votes, being surpassed by Anca Alexandrescu, supported by AUR, who obtained more than 8,400 votes, with a score of 21.94%.
In the survey published by CURS and Avangarde two days before the elections in Bucharest, PSD candidate Daniel Băluță was rated with 27%, Ciprian Ciucu from PNL – 24%, and Cătălin Drula from USR was credited with 21%.
