Romania: Ruling Social Democrats appear set to win elections

Romania's ruling Social Democrats (PSD) appeared to have won the most votes in a parliamentary election on Sunday, coming in ahead of a resurgent far-right movement challenging the country's pro-Western orientation, an exit poll showed.

With roughly 85% of ballots counted, early returns have the PSD taking some 23.5% of the vote, ahead of the hard-right Alliance for the Union of Romania (AUR) with 17.8%.

However, all the far-right parties made large gains. Their combined result was around 30%, indicating a fragmented parliament.

Commenting on the exit polls, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, a Social Democrat, said voters had confirmed they wanted investment to continue.

"It is an important signal that Romanians have sent to the political class," said Ciolacu after the exit poll was published. Ciolacu said the country should continue on its European path, while "protecting our identity, national values and faith."

On Sunday, AUR leader George Simion, who recently won nearly 14% of the presidential vote, said, "Today the Romanian people voted for the pro-sovereignty forces," adding, "It is the beginning of a new era in which the Romanian people reclaim the right to decide their destiny."

If the exit polls are confirmed by official results, a pro-Western coalition led by the PSD is likely to have enough seats in parliament to form a government.

However, the exit polls do not include the votes of the hundreds of thousands of Romanians working abroad, who are expected to favor far-right groups and a centrist opposition.

Rise of the far-right in Romania

Sunday's vote is the second of three consecutive elections for a new parliament and president. After the first round of the presidential election a week ago, independent far-right candidate Calin Georgescu emerged from relative obscurity as the front-runner.

The parliamentary elections took place against the backdrop of a recount of the first round of last week's presidential election, following Georgescu's surprise victory.

The recount was ordered by the Constitutional Court amid allegations of irregularities and possible interference in the election. The court is expected to decide next week whether the runoff between Georgescu and reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union (USR) will go ahead as planned on December 8.

Who gets to form the government will depend on who wins the presidential election, as the president appoints a prime minister, and the timetable for doing so is unclear.

Romania, which has a 650-kilometer (400-mile) border with Ukraine, has played an important role in Western support for Kyiv. In addition to providing military aid, it also enabled the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta.

dh/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)