December Run-Off in Romanian Presidential Election

The man currently in office, Traian Basescu, has claimed victory in the first round of voting in Romania's Presidential election and now faces a run-off against center-left opponent Mircea Geoana on December 6.

Exit polls are indicating that Mr Basescu, the center-right President of his country since 2004, enjoyed the support of 33-34 percent of those who voted in Sunday's election in the Eastern European country, which at present is waiting for another aid payment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). That aid payment has been withheld because, as the chief editor of the Nine O'Clock newspaper, Rodica Pricop, has told Al Jazeera, Romania finds itself fighting corruption that is supposedly the worst in the European Union. With the government of Democrat Liberal Prime Minister Emil Boc, an ally of Mr Basescu, falling in October as a result of a walk-out by coalition partners the Social Democrats, who were angry at the sacking of the country's Interior Minister, a member of their party, the country has, as the Financial Times reports, been denied €1.5 billion ($2.2 billion) in funds that were due to come from the IMF and the European Union as part of a total bail-out package of €20 billion agreed earlier in the year. Romania, badly hit by the worldwide recession and facing a probable budget deficit in 2009 of around 7.3 percent, has been governed by a caretaker administration since the demise of Mr Boc's government. Whilst Mr Basescu has vowed to fight the corruption that has dogged Romania in recent years he has reportedly had little success and the legitimacy of the election which he is hoping will eventually lead to him retaining office has been undermined by allegations of fraud. In particular it is thought that special centers set up to allow voters traveling on the day of the election, and therefore unable to vote in their home district, to participate in the ballot, were attracting unusually large numbers of people. There were 12 candidates in total standing for election on Sunday and after receiving 31-32 percent of the vote Mr Geoana, whose Social Democrats (PSD) are said to have links with Romania's former communist regime, will go in to the December 6 run-off against Mr Basescu. The run-off is necessary because no candidate enjoyed the support of 50 percent of the voters. According to the BBC Romania has 18 million people eligible to vote but the Financial Times says that by 4:00 pm local time only 36 percent of those entitled to vote had cast their ballot. The fact that the country has had three governments in four years may be encouraging a sense of weariness and cynicism amongst the population. If reelected to office one of the first jobs for Mr Basescu would be to nominate a new Prime Minister. However his chances of returning to office may be threatened, notes the Financial Times, by the fact that those who voted for the man placed third in Sunday's poll, Crin Antonescu of the National Liberals, are expected to back Mr Geoana, a former Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the U.S. Victory in December for 58-year-old Mr Basescu, known for his confrontational approach to politics, would see the formation of a government dominated by members of the Democrat Liberal party pursuing policies aimed at cutting spending. Alternatively Mr Geoana plans what the BBC describes as an "ambitious economic stimulus package" if victorious next month. Al Jazeera quotes political commentator Cristian Patrasconiu as saying:

It is very difficult to predict the winner. There are many votes to split between the two candidates ... But Basescu is the best option for reforms

In addition to the first round of the vote to elect a new President the Romanian electorate also had the chance to vote on whether to hold a referendum on the abolition of one of the two chambers in the country's parliament, thereby reducing the number of deputies. Voters approved the holding of a referendum, the outcome of which will not be binding.