Romania in a Presidential Election Year

The Romanian presidential elections between November 22, and December 6, 2009 produced an extremely tight finish. President Traian Băsescu won the runoff against his challenger, Mircea Geoană, by 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent. In absolute numbers, 10.6 million voters turned out for Băsescu, about 70,000 more than showed up for his opponent. Following a complaint by the defeated Social Democratic candidate, the election result was upheld by the Constitutional Court after a review of voided ballots.