Romanian voters headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament, with the presidential race still ongoing. The elections were held shortly after Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate, emerged as the surprise frontrunner in the first round of the presidential vote.
More than 18 million Romanian citizens, including those living abroad, participated in the parliamentary election, which aims to fill 332 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 137 in the Senate.
The country’s 42 constituencies saw the opening of 18,968 polling stations at 7:00 a.m. local time, with voting set to end at 9:00 p.m. Voters outside Romania were also given the chance to cast their ballots, with 950 polling stations operating over the weekend in multiple countries.
A total of over 8,000 candidates from 31 political parties, alliances, and 19 national minority organisations contested the parliamentary elections.
The race includes several major parties, such as the Social Democratic Party, SOS Romania, the National Liberal Party, Alliance for the Union of Romanians, Right Force, Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania, and Save Romania Union.
For any party or alliance to secure parliamentary representation, they must obtain at least 5 per cent of the national vote or exceed 20 per cent of the vote in at least four constituencies.
The timing of the legislative elections coincides with the ongoing presidential race, which has been marked by controversy.
Just a week ago, the Constitutional Court issued an unprecedented ruling, ordering the Central Electoral Bureau to recount the votes from the first round of the presidential election. This added an unexpected layer of tension to the political landscape, as both the presidential and parliamentary races unfold.
Follow us
