BUCHAREST, Dec 01 (AFP): Still reeling from this week's shock developments, Romanians returned to the polls on Sunday to elect their parliament, with the far right tipped to win, potentially heralding a shift in the NATO country's foreign policy.
Romania was thrown into turmoil after a top court ordered a recount of the first round of last week's presidential election won by Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A run-off in that poll is slated for December 8.
Despite accusations of Russian influence and alleged interference via TikTok, Sunday's parliamentary elections went ahead as planned.
While the recounting of more than nine million ballots appeared to proceed quickly, people on the streets of Bucharest expressed worries about the recent twists and turns.
"What's going on now doesn't seem very democratic," Gina Visan told AFP at a Christmas market in Bucharest.
"They should respect our vote. We're disappointed, but we're used to this kind of behaviour," said the 40-year-old nurse, echoing voter's distrust in traditional parties.
Polling stations opened at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) and will close at 9:00 pm, with an exit poll due to be published shortly afterwards. The first official results are expected later in the evening.
Amid allegations of irregularities and possible interference in the election, concerns over the transparency of the electoral process have emerged, with independent observers being denied access to the recount.
According to Septimius Parvu of the Expert Forum think-tank, the recount order by Romania's Constitutional Court had "many negative effects", including undermining confidence in institutions.
"We've already recounted votes in Romania in the past, but not millions of votes, with parliamentary elections in the middle of it all," said Parvu.
"No decision made during this crucial period should limit the right of Romanians to vote freely nor further put at risk the credibility of the election process," the US embassy in Romania stressed.
