By Luiza Ilie
BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Romania’s ruling leftist Social Democrats (PSD) looked set to win the most votes in a parliamentary election on Sunday, defeating a resurgent far-right movement challenging the country’s pro-Western orientation, an exit poll showed.
The vote is the second of three consecutive ballots for both a new parliament and a new president, after the first round of the presidential election on Nov. 24 saw an independent far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu, emerge from relative obscurity to become the frontrunner.
His unexpected win ushered in support for ultranationalist, hard-right parties, some with overt pro-Russian sympathies, which could undermine Romania’s backing for Ukraine and open the way for illiberal policies, political analysts said.
Exit polls showed the PSD winning 26% of votes, ahead of the hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR) at 19%. The PSD has 32.5% of seats in the current parliament, while AUR has 8.5%.
Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu ranked third in the presidential ballot first round, after a campaign dominated by voters’ concern over the cost of living and anger at mainstream parties’ infighting and corruption allegations.
