Parliamentary elections underway in Romania

Romania is holding its parliamentary elections today, with 31 political parties competing for seats. The elections are conducted under a proportional representation system, requiring parties to surpass a 5% threshold to gain parliamentary mandates.

According to pre-election polls, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), Save Romania Union (USR), and National Liberal Party (PNL) are expected to clear the threshold.

In the previous parliamentary elections, the Social Democrats won the most seats but fell short of a majority. They subsequently formed a coalition government with the center-right National Liberal Party.

Adding to the political complexity, Romania held its presidential elections on November 24, a week before the parliamentary vote. The results surprised many, with far-right independent candidate Călin Georgescu leading the race with nearly 23% of the votes. He is set to face Elena Lăscuțan, the candidate from the centrist-liberal Save Romania Union, in the second round.

However, the announcement of the first-round results has been delayed. On November 28, Romania’s Constitutional Court ordered the Central Electoral Commission to recount votes to address fraud allegations sparked by Georgescu’s unexpected success.