Run-off to decide Romania president

Bucharest: Centrist President Traian Basescu will face a Socialist former foreign minister in a December 6 run-off presidential election, partial results showed yesterday, in a race key to helping Romania emerge from a political and economic crisis.

Basescu polled 32.8 per cent of the vote, while Mircea Geoana scored 29.2 per cent, election authorities said in first official results based on some 48 per cent of the vote counted. Conservative opposition leader Crin Antonescu polled 20.8 per cent, finishing third in a field of a dozen candidates.

Romania's government collapsed last month amid squabbling between the two-party coalition, and the International Monetary Fund has delayed access to a bailout loan while the country struggles to set up a new government.

The president is key to reviving the government because he nominates a prime minister, whom parliament must then approve and who would be responsible for forming a new coalition.

Reports of possible fraud in Sunday's election emerged as far more people than normal cast ballots at 3,500 special voting centres that were set up for Romanians who need to vote outside their area of residence because they are travelling.

Authorities said two people were arrested in the southern city of Giurgiu for trying to buy votes. There were widespread reports throughout Romania about people being offered incentives — from sugar, oil or blankets, to flowers in exchange for votes. Basescu and Geoana both called the election one of the most important votes in Romania since 1989 and the fall of communism.

Basescu, who no longer belongs to a political party because of constitutional requirements, has lost some public support because of his stormy relationship with parliament and the country's deep economic crisis. Geoana, who heads the left-leaning Social Democrats and is the leader of the Senate, favours a broad coalition government, while Basescu wants to form a government from the Democratic Liberal party he used to lead.

Romania's economy, already in a deep recession, is expected to shrink some 8.5 per cent this year. The country needs the IMF loan to pay state salaries and pensions, but is unlikely to get it this year. That would force 1.3 million state workers to take eight days of unpaid leave in 2009.

Voters also took part in a referendum on Sunday asking if they want to reduce the number of lawmakers in parliament and abolish one of its two houses.