Romanian Opposition Social Democrats Challenge Presidential Vote Results

Postponing the appointment of Romania’s new president will continue the political deadlock that has been preventing the EU member state from restarting key reforms in its economy and justice system that is the main condition for the release of the next installments of a 20-billion euro bailout package led by the International Monetary Fund.

Final results issued by the Central Electoral Bureau, BEC, indicated that incumbent Traian Basescu has won 50.33% of the vote, while the PSD leader Mircea Geoana has come close second with 49.66% support. On Sunday evening, however, most local polling agencies gave Geoana a lead of 1.4-2.4 percentage points ahead of Basescu based on partial results. 

"It is obvious that the presidential elections displayed signs of massive fraud. We cannot remain indifferent to this," Geoana told reporters. PSD will dispute the results of the vote before BEC and the Constitutional Court, he said.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said earlier on Monday that "reports of irregularities should be investigated without delay, and in order to increase transparency and confidence in the integrity of the process, the authorities should publish results by polling station as a matter or urgency."

According to Romanian law professor Corneliu Liviu Popescu, it is up to the Romanian Constitutional Court now to rule whether PSD’s claim is groundless or not, online news provider Hotnews reported.

Basescu came first in the first round on November 22, winning one third of the votes, slightly ahead of Geoana. After the first round Geoana got the support of the Liberal Party and the Hungarian minority party UDMR, while Basescu announced he would seek no political alliance before the run-off vote. The Liberals, Social Democrats and ethnic Hungarians together control two-thirds of the 471 seats in parliament and oppose the PD-L.