| PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN ROMANIA |
| (2009-12-07) |
| Last updated: 2009-12-07 17:48 EET |
The good news is that these elections were the most pluralistic yet, with a large number of candidates and quickly shifting alliances, but on the downside they’ve been marked by fighting and personal accusations of corruption and manipulation.
The turnout was unparalleled in the last few years, with 58% of eligible voters going to the polls.
Right as polling stations were closing at 9 PM on Sunday, exit polls were so close that both candidates held widely televised victory speeches. A number of news channels reported results selected to reflect their political affiliation.
The speeches carefully reflected campaign slogans, showing growing political savvy.
Social Democrat leader Mircea Geoana said:
"It is a beautiful night for Romanian democracy! I want to thank you, the millions of Romanians who voted, and especially my Liberal friends. Our victory is a victory of normality, ours is the victory of common sense, ours is the victory of all Romanians who wish for a better life".
In a parallel speech, incumbent Basescu said:
"We won, just like in 2004! Our victory has been won mainly by the people of Romania. Romanians have learned democracy fully, and acted accordingly. Whoever said that Romanians are sick and tired of politics got the best retort from Romanians themselves.
Today, the Central Election Bureau announced final results: incumbent Basescu has 50.3%, and Social Democratic contender Geoana, in spite of support from the Liberals and their partners, has only 49.6%. It looks like the election was decided mostly by the votes of Romanians abroad, which overwhelmingly preferred to have the current president stay in office.
(A report produced by the English Service, as part of the EURANET Partnership)
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2025-04-03
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