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Romanians vote in national poll Romania election outcome unclear
(about 1 hour later)
Early indications from the Romanian general election put the leftist Social Democratic party in the lead. Romania's ex-communist Social Democrats appear to have taken the lead in the general election but the shape of the next government is far from clear.
Exit polls predict that the opposition Social Democrats have won 36% of the vote in the first such election since Romania joined the EU last year. Exit polls predict that the Social Democrats will get about 36% of the vote in the first such election since Romania joined the EU last year.
The global economic downturn appears to have eroded support for the governing Liberal party. The global economic downturn seems to have hurt the governing National Liberals which are forecast to win 20%.
The Social Democrats, the successors to the communists, campaigned on promises to increase welfare payments. Its former allies, the Liberal Democrats, are said to have won 31%.
The Social Democrats campaigned on promises to increase welfare payments.
There have been no official results so far.There have been no official results so far.
Correspondents say the Liberals' former allies, the Liberal Democrats, are also in a strong position. If the official results confirm these figures, tough negotiations can be expected, with the Social Democrats trying to woo one or other of their centre-right rivals, as well as the small ethnic Hungarian party, to enter a coalition with them, BBC Eastern Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe says.
Squabbles between their figurehead President, Traian Basescu, and the Liberal leader, Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, wrecked their coalition. President Traian Basescu said before the election that he would prefer a centre-right government.
President Basescu, who still has another year in office, can nominate the next prime minister if the result is close. Falling-out
Six main parties or alliances are competing for seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, with 18 million Romanians eligible to vote. Squabbles between Mr Basescu of the Liberal Democrats and Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu of the National Liberals wrecked their coalition.
For the first time, Romanians chose from among individual candidates instead of party lists as they filled seats in the 452-member parliament. The ethnic Hungarian party is said to have come fourth with just under 7% of the vote.
But BBC Eastern Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe says the complex voting system has led some observers to express concerns about the possibility of fraud. For the first time, the 18 million Romanians eligible to vote chose from among individual candidates instead of party lists as they filled seats in the 452-member parliament.
In the 19 years since the Romanian revolution, the left have traditionally shown more discipline while centre-right alliances have achieved dramatic election victories but broken up under the strains of governing, our correspondent adds. Our correspondent says the complex voting system has led some observers to express concerns about the possibility of fraud.
In the 19 years since the Romanian revolution, the left have traditionally shown more discipline while centre-right alliances have achieved dramatic election victories but broke up under the strains of governing, our correspondent adds.