20:30
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BUCHAREST: Romania’s prime minister was headed for victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday that could set off another round of a power struggle with the rightist president and complicate talks for a new IMF deal.
Victor Ponta’s leftist Social Liberal Union (USL) will win the most votes and probably a clear majority, opinion polls showed. But analysts said President Traian Basescu might use his powers to ask one of his own allies to try to form a government.
Any prolonged period without a new administration in place would unnerve markets and raise questions about how Romania would obtain a new International Monetary Fund deal once the current agreement expires in early 2013.
Heavy snow, rain and fog across the Balkan country hampered turnout, which was only 21 per cent by early afternoon, though voting was heavier in traditional USL areas. Polls will close at 9 pm (1900 GMT) with first results due early on Monday.
“I am convinced that today Romania will write a new page in its history and things will get better,” Ponta, a 40-year-old lawyer, said in his Targu Jiu constituency, a mining town a few hours from Bucharest.
The former communist country has made progress in some areas since the 1989 revolution that overthrew dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, but although it joined the European Union in 2007, it remains the bloc’s second poorest member. Romania lags regional peers Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic and struggles to supply running water and reliable electricity to some of its 19 million people.
Long-term reforms such as privatisation of inefficient state companies and an overhaul of health care have failed to materialise, and the economy is struggling to recover from a deep recession.
Low turnout among an electorate of just over 18 million reflected the bad weather but also deep dissatisfaction with politicians, many of whom voters view as corrupt.
“I don’t know who to vote for or why, so I don’t intend to,” said Matei Daniel, a professional driver speaking in freezing rain in central Bucharest, surrounded by Ceausescu-era blocks.”
There have been so many elections and nothing has changed.”
The leu fell to a record low against the euro in August during an attempt by Ponta to remove the conservative Basescu from office, using tactics which the EU and United States said undermined the rule of law. At the time, Basescu said he would never again name Ponta as prime minister.
This week, he said only that he would appoint someone in the best interests of the country, while the leu slipped again and Romania’s borrowing costs rose.
On Sunday, the blunt Basescu said the election was a choice between working with the EU and United States or Russia, with which he says the USL is closely allied.
“Look at the ambiguities we have created in the last seven months,” the former sea captain said after voting in Bucharest.” We have declared war on Brussels, on European leaders.”
The USL has benefited from disenchantment with Basescu and the previous government, which pushed through unpopular austerity measures such as salary cuts and higher sales tax.
But lacklustre economic growth will give the next administration little room to ease cost cuts and tax rises. Ponta’s alliance has scored at least 57 per cent in three opinion polls published in December and Romania’s complicated electoral system - combining constituencies and proportional representation - favours large parties.
“I gave a chance to the team which is now ruling (USL),”said former textile worker Doina Isopescu at a polling station in Bucharest. “I’m fed up with cuts, cuts and again cuts.”
One possibility would be for Basescu to ask someone other than Ponta from within the USL to become prime minister, using the argument that it is a coalition of different political groups rather than a party, according to analysts.
Victor Ponta’s leftist Social Liberal Union (USL) will win the most votes and probably a clear majority, opinion polls showed. But analysts said President Traian Basescu might use his powers to ask one of his own allies to try to form a government.
Any prolonged period without a new administration in place would unnerve markets and raise questions about how Romania would obtain a new International Monetary Fund deal once the current agreement expires in early 2013.
Heavy snow, rain and fog across the Balkan country hampered turnout, which was only 21 per cent by early afternoon, though voting was heavier in traditional USL areas. Polls will close at 9 pm (1900 GMT) with first results due early on Monday.
“I am convinced that today Romania will write a new page in its history and things will get better,” Ponta, a 40-year-old lawyer, said in his Targu Jiu constituency, a mining town a few hours from Bucharest.
The former communist country has made progress in some areas since the 1989 revolution that overthrew dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, but although it joined the European Union in 2007, it remains the bloc’s second poorest member. Romania lags regional peers Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic and struggles to supply running water and reliable electricity to some of its 19 million people.
Long-term reforms such as privatisation of inefficient state companies and an overhaul of health care have failed to materialise, and the economy is struggling to recover from a deep recession.
Low turnout among an electorate of just over 18 million reflected the bad weather but also deep dissatisfaction with politicians, many of whom voters view as corrupt.
“I don’t know who to vote for or why, so I don’t intend to,” said Matei Daniel, a professional driver speaking in freezing rain in central Bucharest, surrounded by Ceausescu-era blocks.”
There have been so many elections and nothing has changed.”
The leu fell to a record low against the euro in August during an attempt by Ponta to remove the conservative Basescu from office, using tactics which the EU and United States said undermined the rule of law. At the time, Basescu said he would never again name Ponta as prime minister.
This week, he said only that he would appoint someone in the best interests of the country, while the leu slipped again and Romania’s borrowing costs rose.
On Sunday, the blunt Basescu said the election was a choice between working with the EU and United States or Russia, with which he says the USL is closely allied.
“Look at the ambiguities we have created in the last seven months,” the former sea captain said after voting in Bucharest.” We have declared war on Brussels, on European leaders.”
The USL has benefited from disenchantment with Basescu and the previous government, which pushed through unpopular austerity measures such as salary cuts and higher sales tax.
But lacklustre economic growth will give the next administration little room to ease cost cuts and tax rises. Ponta’s alliance has scored at least 57 per cent in three opinion polls published in December and Romania’s complicated electoral system - combining constituencies and proportional representation - favours large parties.
“I gave a chance to the team which is now ruling (USL),”said former textile worker Doina Isopescu at a polling station in Bucharest. “I’m fed up with cuts, cuts and again cuts.”
One possibility would be for Basescu to ask someone other than Ponta from within the USL to become prime minister, using the argument that it is a coalition of different political groups rather than a party, according to analysts.
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