As the first round of the Romanian presidential election has passed, many legal irregularities and troublesome voting procedures cast uncertainty over the second round. Euractiv.ro reports. The two candidates that have moved on into the second round of the Romanian presidential election are Victor Ponta (PSD) and Klaus Iohannis (ACL). The latest partial results presented by the Central Electoral Office show Ponta with 40.33% of the number of valid votes and Iohannis with 30.44%. Although Ponta is leading by 10%, nothing is certain for the second round. An important element that stands to influence the second round is represented by the actions of the former candidates. Combined, all the other 12 candidates have gained almost 30% of the votes, half of which were cast for the first three, including Călin Popescu Tăriceanu (independent, a former liberal Prime Minister), Elena Udrea (PMP, a former Liberal Democrat Minister of Development) and Monica Macovei (independent, currently a member of the European Parliament).
Commentators suggest that Călin Popescu Tăriceanu might be appointed as Prime Minister, in return for his support for Ponta. The secretary general of PSD, Liviu Dragnea, has declared that no candidate owns the votes of the electorate, but that discussions concerning potential electoral alliances will be made. Conversely, Iohannis is expected to reach out to the rest of the former right-wing candidates and to establish a more powerful anti-Ponta coalition.
That being said, no alliance is certain of victory, as each candidate has to struggle with personal problems. While the issue of corruption will remain at the center of the presidential campaign, each candidate is confronting new challenges that affect their chances for a smooth second poll.
Full Article: Irregularities cloud Romanian election runoff | EurActiv.
