Romania Votes in Presidential Elections, Referendum
2009-11-22 11:02:37

Romanians are voting in the first round of Presidential Elections and a referendum on Sunday.

18 million eligible voters from a population of 21,5 million are to pick from among twelve candidates.

The two major contenders are incumbent center-right president Traian Basescu and his Social Democrat rival Mircea Geoana.

Earlier opinion polls suggested that Basescu and Geoana are most likely to face each other in a runoff on December 6.

Along with Sunday's presidential elections, Romania is also holding a referendum to decide whether it should reduce the number of its legislators from the current 471 to 300 and to switch from a bicameral to one-chamber legislature.

The elections come after the political crisis created by the collapse of the center-right government of Prime Minister Emil Boc in October.