Romania's corruption-tainted left scored an resounding election victory a year after a nightclub fire drove them from office, partial official results showed today.
Broadly confirming exit polls from Sunday's parliamentary election, the Social Democrats (PSD) won 45.2 per cent of the vote, the electoral commission said, based on 60 per cent of ballots counted.
The rival centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL) trailed on 20.2 per cent, while their allies the Save Romania Union (USR), newly created by a mathematician-turned-activist garnered 9.3 per cent.
The PSD's likely coalition partners, the liberal ALDE party, cleared the five-percent hurdle needed to enter parliament, as did ex-president Traian Basescu's People's Movement Party (PMP).
The election was held little over a year after huge public anger over a blaze in a nightclub that killed 64 people and forced premier Victor Ponta and his PSD-led government to quit.
It remained unclear today who would become prime minister, with PSD head Liviu Dragnea serving a suspended sentence for electoral fraud.
In theory this bars him from office under Romanian law and centre-right President Klaus Iohannis has refused to appoint anyone with legal problems.
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