Prima pagină » English » Romanians Elect President Sunday Amid Political, Economic Crisis

Romanians Elect President Sunday Amid Political, Economic Crisis

About 18 million Romanian eligible voters are expected to cast ballots Sunday to elect their president for the next five years and will choose between incumbent President Traian Basescu and social democrat Mircea Geoana.
Romanians Elect President Sunday Amid Political, Economic Crisis
06 dec. 2009, 07:04, English

Sunday’s presidential election is seen as crucial to the country that has been shaken by political instability since its government collapsed mid-October.

While Basescu has already twice failed to win Parliament support for a new prime minister, Geoana has liberals and the Hungarian minority party on his side backing Sibiu mayor Klaus Johannis for prime minister and pledges to have a legitimate government in place by Christmas.

Romania, which relies on a EUR20 billion IMF-led rescue loan, of which it already got EUR6.6 billion, will not see further loan disbursements until it has a proper government and it adopts next year’s state budget. Basescu has recently endorsed a law amended by Parliament to allow the caretaker government to submit the 2010 draft state budget.

Polling stations in the country open at 7 a.m. (GMT0500) and close at 9 p.m. (GMT1900). Romania also has 294 polling stations for its expatriates. Polls opened Saturday evening at GMT1800 in New Zeeland and will close Monday, December 7, on the west coast of the United States.