Poll finds Moldovans split over whether to quit CIS, majority against entry into NATO, unification with Romania

CHISINAU. June 27 (Interfax) - Moldovan citizens offered different views when asked by pollsters whether Moldova should terminate its membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the findings of a public opinion survey, conducted by the CBS-AXA company for WatchDog.MD and presented on Tuesday, showed.

The findings show that 18.9% of respondents support Moldova's withdrawal from the CIS, 27.2% of those polled believe that Moldova should leave the CIS if this step is needed for accession to the European Union, and 13% of those polled do not want Moldova to quit the CIS even if it halts the country's integration with Europe. Seventeen percent of respondents believe that Moldova should remain a CIS member and should not join the EU, and 7.6% of those polled said that Moldova should leave the CIS without joining the EU. The remaining 16.3% of those polled could not answer this question.

If a referendum on Moldova's accession to the EU were to be held today, 58.5% of voters would support this step, and 30% would vote against it (the rest of those polled could not answer this question). If a referendum on Moldova's accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) were to be held today, such a decision would be supported by 37.9% of voters and would be opposed by 47%. If there were a referendum at which voters would have to choose whether to enter the EU or the EAEU, 53.3% would vote in favor of membership in the EU, 27.2% would choose the EAEU, and the rest of those polled said they would not take part in such a vote at all or could not answer this question.

If a referendum on Moldova's accession to NATO were to be held today, 52.6% of respondents would vote against it, and 33.4% would support this step. If there were a referendum on Moldova's unification with Romania, 50.3% of respondents said they would vote against this move, 40% would support it, and the rest of those polled said that they would not take part in such a referendum at all or could not answer the question.

The survey was conducted by phone from June 10 to 19 and involved 1,121 people. Its margin of error is 3%.