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Romania's Social Democrats easily win parliamentary elections Romania's Social Democrats easily win parliamentary elections
(about 1 hour later)
Romania’s left-leaning Social Democrats have easily won parliamentary elections a year after a major anti-corruption drive forced the last socialist prime minister from power.Romania’s left-leaning Social Democrats have easily won parliamentary elections a year after a major anti-corruption drive forced the last socialist prime minister from power.
Election authorities said on Monday that with 99% of the votes from Sunday’s balloting counted, the Social Democratic party had about 46% and the center-right Liberals were second with over 20%. Election authorities said that with 99% of the votes from Sunday’s ballotcounted, the Social Democratic party had won 46% and the centre-right Liberals were second with around 20%.
The chairman of the Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, spoke on Sunday after exit polls were published showing similar results, saying: “There should be no doubt who won the elections. Romanians want to feel at home in their own country and I want Romania to be a good home for all Romanians.” Speaking on Sunday after exit polls showed similar results, the chairman of the Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, said: “There should be no doubt who won the elections. Romanians want to feel at home in their own country and I want Romania to be a good home for all Romanians.”
The Save Romania Union, a new party that ran on an anti-corruption ticket, finished third, allowing it to enter parliament. Dragnea got a two-year suspended prison sentence in April for election fraud for inflating voter numbers in a July 2012 referendum to impeach the then president, Traian Basescu.
Dragnea received a two-year suspended prison sentence for voter fraud in April for inflating voter numbers at a July 2012 referendum to impeach former President Traian Băsescu. His party was pushing a populist line. Under a 2001 law, Dragnea is not allowed to be appointed prime minister because of the conviction, and last week he said the party would not try to change the law.
Dragnea said Romania would respect its international strategic and economic commitments. “Romania is an island of stability in the region,” he said. However, he told Romania TV on Monday that he had not ruled himself out as a future leader.
Save Romania Union leader Nicușor Dan earlier called the exit poll predictions “a victory for Romanian democracy”, noting people had left their jobs to volunteer to set up the party, which was created in February. President Klaus Iohannis has said he will not nominate a prime minister who has been convicted or who is the subject of a corruption investigation.
The country of about 19 million people is one of the poorest in the EU and perceived as having significant problems with corruption. Dragnea’s party has pushed a populist agenda, but on Sunday he sought to strike a conciliatory note, saying he wanted to end bitter divisions in the country.
The Save Romania Union, a new party that ran on an anti-corruption ticket, finished third, allowing it to enter parliament. A party needs 5% of the votes to enter the bicameral legislature. Votes for parties that do not make the threshold are redistributed.
Turnout for the election was 39.5%, more than two percentage points less than the 2012 parliamentary elections.
The former prime minister Victor Ponta, already the subject of a corruption investigation, resigned after mass protests following a nightclub fire in October 2015 that killed 64 people. Romania is currently run by a government of technocrats headed by the prime minister, Dacian Ciolos, a former European Union agriculture commissioner.
The country of about 19 million people is one of the poorest in the 28-member European Union and perceived as one of the most corrupt.