Fraud claim in Romania vote
Source: Agencies |
December 8, 2009, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ROMANIA'S main opposition party claimed yesterday that President Traian Basescu narrowly won re-election through a fraudulent vote.
The Social Democrats said left-leaning former Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana actually won Sunday's run-off, an election seen as crucial to addressing a government crisis and the country's painful recession.
Senior Social Democratic official Liviu Dragnea said there were too many voided ballots - a total of 138,000 - more than enough to make up the difference between the two candidates, a slim margin of about 70,000 votes.
He claimed that some polling stations altered final documentation, possibly forging ballots, sent to central election authorities. He also cited "massive electoral tourism," referring to the 617,000 voters who cast ballots at special voting centers, many of whom he claimed had already voted elsewhere.
"We contest the election. It is a democratic duty toward the 5 million Romanians" who are about to be cheated out of their votes, he said, referring to Geoana's voters.
"Romanians voted for Mircea Geoana, but Basescu's state apparatus is trying to make him the presidential winner through fraud," he said.
Basescu ally Radu Berceanu denied fraud allegations and said Geoana's Social Democrats did not know how to lose graciously.
Basescu said he knew two hours before the polls closed that he had won the race.
The interior ministry said 200 irregularities were reported and two people detained for attempting to offer incentives in exchange for a vote.
Representatives of four parties supporting Geoana outside Romania refused to sign off on the vote count, alleging multiple voting, and claiming bribes were offered to people for their votes in Spain, Italy and Moldova.
The Social Democrats said left-leaning former Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana actually won Sunday's run-off, an election seen as crucial to addressing a government crisis and the country's painful recession.
Senior Social Democratic official Liviu Dragnea said there were too many voided ballots - a total of 138,000 - more than enough to make up the difference between the two candidates, a slim margin of about 70,000 votes.
He claimed that some polling stations altered final documentation, possibly forging ballots, sent to central election authorities. He also cited "massive electoral tourism," referring to the 617,000 voters who cast ballots at special voting centers, many of whom he claimed had already voted elsewhere.
"We contest the election. It is a democratic duty toward the 5 million Romanians" who are about to be cheated out of their votes, he said, referring to Geoana's voters.
"Romanians voted for Mircea Geoana, but Basescu's state apparatus is trying to make him the presidential winner through fraud," he said.
Basescu ally Radu Berceanu denied fraud allegations and said Geoana's Social Democrats did not know how to lose graciously.
Basescu said he knew two hours before the polls closed that he had won the race.
The interior ministry said 200 irregularities were reported and two people detained for attempting to offer incentives in exchange for a vote.
Representatives of four parties supporting Geoana outside Romania refused to sign off on the vote count, alleging multiple voting, and claiming bribes were offered to people for their votes in Spain, Italy and Moldova.
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