2nd LD Writethru: Traian Basescu likely to stay as Romanian president
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E-mail Xinhua, July 30, 2012
BUCHAREST, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The exit polls conducted by two pollsters revealed late Sunday that the turnout is below the required minimum in the referendum to recall suspended President Traian Basescu and the latter is likely to stay in his post.
The turnout is 44.1 percent, according to research company CCSB, and 44 percent as announced by Operations Research.
According to the referendum law, the president is dismissed with 50 percent plus one vote of those voting and the referendum is considered valid if the turnout is 50 percent plus one citizen from the permanent electoral lists.
Despite the low turnout, but the "Yes" votes are overwhelming, 86.90 percent, according to CCSB, or 84 percent, according to Operations Research.
Romanians started voting Sunday on the impeachment of President Traian Basescu, who was suspended by the parliament for alleged abuses of power.
The voting stations opened at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and are to close at 11:00 p.m. (2100 GMT). A total of 18,548 polling stations, of which 18,242 in the country and 306 abroad, were readied for 18,292,514 voters registered on the rolls.
This is the second time that Basescu goes through an impeachment referendum, after he survived the popular consultation organized on May 19, 2007.
Basescu did not go to the polling station and late Sunday asked "all those who could have endorsed me to stay at home."
In the three-week campaign for the referendum, Basescu's main supporter the Democrat Liberal Party professed right from the start its solidarity with the suspended president, supporting him throughout the campaign.
Whereas at the earlier rallies, the watchword to the electorate was to vote against the president's ousting, and the political tune was completely changed on July 24 when the party decided to boycott the referendum in a bid to make the process invalid by an insufficient voter turnout.
On the other hand, high-profile members of the ruling Social Liberal Union called on the citizens to go to the polls.
The parliament approved on July 6 the impeachment request against the president submitted by the ruling Social Liberal Union, a ruling alliance that came to power three months ago and is made up of the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. Enditem
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