BUCHAREST, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Romania's ruling SocialDemocrats (PSD) on Saturday confirmed Prime Minister VioricaDancila as the party's candidate in a Nov. 10 presidentialelection that polls show the incumbent centrist Klaus Iohanniswinning comfortably.
The latest voter surveys show Iohannis garnering about 42%of the votes, followed by four other contenders on 10-13%, withDancila trailing in sixth place on about 8%.
Dancila said, however, the "real opinion poll is only theelection day."
"I'm much stronger than all those men (politicians) shoutingfrom the sidelines. I became Romania's first female primeminister, I will become Romania's first female president," saidDancila -- a protégé of former leader Liviu Dragnea, who isserving a three-and-a-half-year jail term for corruption.
About 1,000 PSD members gathered at a party congress onSaturday and voted unanimously to pick Dancila as the party'ssole candidate.
The party, which has a slim parliamentary majority with ajunior ally, lost support in May's European parliament election,winning about 26% of the vote -- far below the 45% they won inthe last national ballot in 2016.
The European ballot was the first popularity test for thePSD, which has been strongly criticised by Brussels andWashington for its overhaul of the judiciary and changes toanti-graft legislation.
Romania will hold a second round of the presidential lectionon Nov. 24 if no candidate wins an outright majority.Parliamentary elections are due in December 2020.(Reporting by Radu MarinasEditing by Helen Popper)