BUCHAREST – Romania's ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) are on the verge of victory in pivotal parliamentary elections, setting the stage for talks to form a pro-West coalition that could prove to be difficult.
The December 1 vote comes a week after the country’s disputed presidential election in which a pro-Russian, far-right candidate pulled off a surprise first-round victory.
Citizens of the EU and NATO member nation on December 2 were awaiting final, official results after preliminary figures gave the PSD the lead over the far-right, ultranationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR).
With 99.3 percent of polling stations reporting, PSD had 22.7 percent of the vote to AUR’s 18.2 percent.
SEE ALSO: It's Election Season In Romania. Here's Everything You Need To Know.The center-right Liberal Party (PNL) -- a junior coalition partner to the PSD – had 14.4 percent, while another center-right party, the Save Romania Union (USR), followed with 12 percent.
Full voting totals are expected later on December 2, but allocation of seats in both houses of the parliament – the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate – could take longer.
Voters’ party preferences in both legislative bodies appeared to be nearly identical.
The party gaining the most votes will likely nominate the prime minister.
If no party -- as expected -- reaches a parliamentary majority, hard negotiations will follow on forming a government and could depend on the outcome of next week's presidential runoff.
Analysts have suggested a tenuous coalition could develop with the left-leaning PSD and the center-right PNL and USR combining forces. Such a development would help ensure Romania's pro-Western policies against the emerging far-right -- and often Russian-friendly -- parties.
Far-right candidates, who performed surprisingly well in the presidential election first round, were also expected to make gains in the parliamentary voting.
Turnout was reported at 52.36 percent, or about 9.43 million voters, the highest in parliamentary elections in 12 years, according to officials.
Voter turnout in the 2020 parliamentary election was about 32 percent.
No major irregularities were reported by the early evening.
Diaspora results – an estimated 643,000 eligible voters – could play a key role, although it is unclear which parties foreign-based Romanians favor.
SEE ALSO: Romania Begins Ballot Recount Amid Accusations Of Social Media ViolationsBy 7 p.m. Romania time, officials said more than 115,000 Romanians had cast ballots in Italy, 110,000 in Britain, and 108,000 in Germany.
Moldova also was a key voting space for Romanian elections. Most of Moldova was part of Romania until the end of World War II and many Moldovans also hold Romanian citizenship.
By 7:30 p.m., officials reported that more than 73,000 Romanian citizens had voted in Moldova. In last week’s presidential election, more than 80,000 cast ballots in the country.
More than three dozen parties and coalitions, along with independent candidates, were competing for seats in the bicameral legislature: 329 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 136 in the Senate.
Along with the divide between the East and West, Romanians have expressed concerns about the country's ailing economy and rampant corruption.
The election – which featured some 10,000 registered candidates – came ahead of the December 8 second round of the presidential contest, in which pro-West Elena Lasconi, will face Russian-friendly, far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate who scored a surprising first-round victory in the disputed first round last week.
Lasconi, a small-town mayor who is a vocal supporter of Romania's NATO and EU alliances, finished second in that vote, barely beating leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
The Central Election Bureau has begun a court-ordered recount of all ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election, as accusations swirled that Georgescu illegally used TikTok to boost his campaign, among other alleged irregularities.
The Constitutional Court is expected to validate the first-round results on December 2 after the parliamentary vote is completed, people familiar with the court’s plans told RFE/RL's Romanian Service.
Romania's president has significant decision-making powers, including on matters of national security and foreign policy. Elected for a five-year term, the president can also reject party nominees for prime minister and government nominees for judicial appointments.