Seven out of ten Romanians support unification with Moldova, according to an INSCOP poll cited by Mediafax, with 71.9% of respondents saying they would vote in favour of a union and 21.4% against it. Another 2.1% said they were undecided, while 3.2% would not vote, and 1.4% did not answer.
The survey also showed that 8.4% of respondents believe unification could take place within the next three years, 13.3% within five years and 29.3% within the next decade or later. At the same time, 34.7% said they believe a union will never happen.
Support for unification is strongest among men aged 30-44 from Bucharest, respondents with higher education and voters of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and reformist Save Romania Union (USR). By contrast, opposition is more visible among women aged 45-59 employed in the public sector and among voters for the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), many of whom believe unification will never materialise. Interestingly, AUR leader George Simion has been an activist for the unification with Molodva, before setting up AUR.
According to the poll, 67.6% of respondents consider union with Moldova a “historical duty”. Only 25.5% believe Moldovans are a separate people with a distinct language and destiny.
The issue has returned to public debate in recent months amid regional tensions and Moldova’s efforts to advance towards the European Union. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in January she would vote “yes” in a potential referendum on unification with Romania, citing security concerns linked to Russia.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan recently reiterated that Bucharest’s official position on a possible union remains positive.
Separately, the Romanian Academic Council (CAR), established on March 26 by institutions including the Romanian Academy and the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, proposed on May 8 the launch of a broad process of analysis regarding accelerated rapprochement between the two states.
The council stated that “the time has come for the rapprochement between Romania and the Republic of Moldova to be assumed not only as an affective and identity aspiration, but also as an institutional construction project, developed with rigour, realism and responsibility.”
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