BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romanians voted Sunday in a hotly contested presidential runoff that could resolve almost two months of political crisis and unfreeze an international loan Romania needs to emerge from recession.Centrist President Traian Basescu is running for a second five-year term. His main rival is former Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, who heads the leftist Social Democrats and is head of the Senate. Analysts say the race is too close to call.Both candidates claim they will lift Romania out of its deepest political and economic crisis in 20 years, eradicate corruption and restore public trust. Almost 18 million people are eligible to vote. Voting was brisk with more than 24 percent of voters casting their ballot in the first six hours, election authorities said.The first round of elections on Nov. 22 was marred by allegations of multiple voting and votes being bought.
BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romanians voted Sunday in a hotly contested presidential runoff that could resolve almost two months of political crisis and unfreeze an international loan Romania needs to emerge from recession.
Centrist President Traian Basescu is running for a second five-year term. His main rival is former Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, who heads the leftist Social Democrats and is head of the Senate. Analysts say the race is too close to call.
Both candidates claim they will lift Romania out of its deepest political and economic crisis in 20 years, eradicate corruption and restore public trust. Almost 18 million people are eligible to vote. Voting was brisk with more than 24 percent of voters casting their ballot in the first six hours, election authorities said.
The first round of elections on Nov. 22 was marred by allegations of multiple voting and votes being bought.
Centrist President Traian Basescu
Right-populism is the new centrism...
All exit polls show a narrow result, but a loss for Băsescu:
BREAKING NEWS Exit polls: Mircea Geoana is new President of Romania according to three exit-polls, a fourth says 50-50 with Traian Basescu - Top News - HotNews.ro
CCSB/Antena 3 exit poll: Basescu 48,8%, Geoana 51,2%CSOP/B1 TV exit poll: Basescu 50%, Geoana 50%INSOMAR/Realitatea TV exit poll: Geoana 51,6% , Basescu 48,4%CURS/TVR exit poll: Basescu 49,2%, Geoana 50,8%
Geoana is already celebrating, maybe a bit early:
Mircea Geoana: Together we won! This is a beautiful night for Romania's democracy! - Top News - HotNews.ro
"Together we won! This is a beautiful night for Romania's democracy!", the PSD presidential candidate Mircea Geoana declared, immediately after the exit-polls announced their estimates. The PSD president is shown as the elections' winner by three opinion surveys, while only one shows him and Traian Basescu with equal chances. These are the most important declarations made by Mircea Geoana:I'd like to thank those who put their trust in me, to my party colleagues, the staff and the PC alliance and, not the least, to Crin Antonescu.I would also like to thank those who represent other political organisations - UDMR, PNCTD, the national minorities. I was right to talk about unity, the need to save jobs, to come out of the crisis, our victory is the victory of normality, of common-sense. I would also like to thank to the one who was the country's president for five years, I will treat him with respect, like an ex-president.Together with Crin Antonescu we engaged to end the crisis. And we will have the Johannis government based on a strong majority.
Mircea Geoana: Johannis Cabinet to be invested until Christmas and will function until 2012 - Top News - HotNews.ro
The Klaus Johannis Cabinet will be invested by Christmas and will function until 2012, Mircea Geoana declared on Sunday, after visiting the PNL headquarters. "I believe that this moment signifies the post-communist transition end, which started at the revolution", Geoana said in a joint press statement made alongside the liberal leader. "My presence today here represents a gesture of historic reconciliation. (...) I strongly believe that PNL has the moral right and the electoral force to become Romania's right-wing true force", he said. "PSD will remain for many years Romania's left-wing true force".
Traian Basescu obtained 50.43% of the votes while his countercandidate, Mircea Geoana, 49.57%, after counting 95.40% of the voting sections, the partial official results at 8AM, published by the Central Electoral Office, reveal.The next official partial results will be released at 11 AM.
Damn... also, if it stays this narrow, I guess accusations of electoral fraud will have high time. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Central Electoral Office: Traian Basescu 50.33%, Mircea Geoana 49.66% - Top News - HotNews.ro
Traian Basescu obtained 50.33% and Mircea Geoana 49.66%, the final results released by the Central Electoral Office at 2:45 PM read. The final results are still provisional and will become final after all fraud allegations will be dealt with.
PSD Secretary General Liviu Dragnea: massive frauds compel us to contest elections / Romanians chose Geoana, the state apparatus attempts to name Traian Basescu - Top News - HotNews.ro
The frauds we witnessed obliges us to contest these elections, Social Democratic State Secretary Liviu Dragnea declared. He added that he knows that Romanians elected Mircea Geoana while Basescu's state apparatus tries to make Basescu a winner. Dragnea announced that the decision to contest elections was taken by all Social Democratic leaders on Monday morning and will be validated at 5PM. Dragnea said that the Social Democrats will finish registering all frauds. The decision comes after the official partial results indicated Basescu winner after last night's exit polls pointed to Mircea Geoana. Up to this point, Mircea Geoana did not make any declarations.
