Europe

Romanian President survives in impeachment referendum

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-05-20 13:23

The exit poll conducted by major pollster CURS on Saturday evening revealed Traian Basescu as winner of the impeachment referendum in Romania, with 78.1 percent of the votes cast against his removal from the office of President.

Romania's President Traian Basescu gestures after the first exit polls during an impeachment referendum in Bucharest May 19, 2007. Romanians rejected an attempt by parliament to impeach reformist Basescu in the Saturday referendum, exit polls showed. Two separate exit polls for Romanian television stations said between 75 and 78 percent voted against impeaching Basescu on charges that he overstepped his authority. [Reuters]

Meanwhile, 21.9 percent of the Romanians voted against his return to Cotroceni Palace.

The poll has an error margin of 1.5-2 percent and considered the votes cast in the polling stations in Romania.

"We are facing a reality that cannot be commented by politicians at television. We are in front of the vote of the Romanian people," said the suspended President Traian Basescu, immediately after the polling stations were closed.

The politics has only one measure, the capacity to receive votes, he stressed.

However, Mircea Geoana, leader of the main opposition Social Democratic Party, said: "Traian Basescu's victory is a victory devoid of glory. The low voter turnout does not make Traian Basescu the legitimate head of state."

According to the last release of the Central Electoral Bureau at 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT), only 28.95 percent of Romanian registered electorate voted in the referendum.

Geoana said that the vote during the referendum does not annul the significance of the suspension of President Basescu by Parliament.

Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, also the leader of the ruling National Liberal Party, said after the first results of the exit polls that he was sorry that the Romanians came to be arbiters of a political crisis they are not to blame for. The result of the referendum demonstrated that "the Romanians give Traian Basescu a second chance," he concluded.