Romanian presidential election, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 9,718,840 (54.37%) 10,481,568 (58.02%) |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
The first round of 2009 Romanian presidential elections was held in Romania on 22 November and a run-off round between Traian Băsescu and Mircea Geoană was held on 6 December 2009. Although most exit polls favored Geoană in the runoff, the authorities declared Băsescu the narrow victor with 50.33% of the votes. It is to date the closest election in Romanian history. However, the opposition contests the results, citing a "high number of void ballots, modified voting protocols, and massive electoral tourism", vowing to challenge the result in the constitutional court. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) declared that the election "was held generally in line with OSCE commitments", but also urged the authorities to investigate claims of fraud.
On 8 December, the Social Democratic Party submitted their request to annul and repeat the presidential election run-off to the Constitutional Court, saying the election was rigged. On 14 December, the Constitutional Court repelled the request after recounting all the annulled votes.
Simultaneously with the first round, a referendum was held on introducing a unicameral parliament of up to 300 deputies instead of the current bicameral parliament. The referendum was declared valid after 50.16% of the registered voters expressed their opinion, and exit polls indicate over 70% support for the reforms.
There were twelve candidates of which three ran as independents. The candidates of the major parties were: the incumbent Traian Băsescu (formally independent, but supported by Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L) and the official fraction of Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNŢ-CD), led by Marian Miluţ), Mircea Geoană (Social Democratic Party (PSD)), Crin Antonescu (National Liberal Party (PNL) and the contender fraction of PNŢ-CD, led by Radu Sârbu), Hunor Kelemen (Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR)) and Corneliu Vadim Tudor (Greater Romania Party (PRM)).Mayor of Bucharest Sorin Oprescu (formerly PSD member) announced his candidacy as an independent candidate on 5 October 2009; Băsescu also had been mayor of Bucharest before becoming president.
...
Wikipedia