Ex-Communist leading presidential poll in Romania

Iliescu, leader of the opposition Party of Social Democracy of Romania (PDSR), was expected to garner 36 per cent of the vote. In a shut-out of the centre-right, a hard-line nationalist, Corneliu Vadim Tudor running for the Greater Romania Party, was trailing on about 27 per cent and likely to become Iliescu's challenger in the run-off, according to the surveys.

Three groups of researchers did the polling and their results broadly concurred. A second round has already been scheduled for December 10. The day's parliamentary election was also expected to return comparable results, with the electorate turning its back on the parties that currently rule the troubled country. The official results of both elections are unlikely to be ready before Tuesday as counting will be slow, observers said. On television, Iliescu, 70, called on the centre-right government to hand over power "in a civilized fashion".

Tudor said he was delighted to be separated from Iliescu by a margin of just 10 per cent. This was "not an insuperable obstacle" if he was to better Iliescu next month, he said. Commenting on Romania's policy of seeking European Union (E.U.) membership, Tudor said it was up to the E.U. first to convince Romania that membership was to the country's benefit before he would actively seek this. If he became president, "a new life will begin. The mafia will be exterminated," he said. Tudor denied being an extremist, saying he was merely "the leader of the ragged, the hungry and the despairing in Romania". That brought a warning Sunday from Gyorgyi Frunda, presidential candidate of Romania's ethnic Hungarians. He said Tudor might well try to block Romania's integration with western Europe.

Tudor ethnic-based views are largely directed against the Hungarian-speaking minority which numbers about 1.7 million. Turnout was low Sunday among the electorate of 17.7 million. Campaigning had been mainly through the media, with no major rallies for an electorate seen as largely indifferent in one of eastern Europe's most struggling economies. Iliescu, a former communist who became president following the ouster nearly 11 years ago of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, had been favourite to win the presidential election. He was president from 1990 to 1996. Other leading candidates were current Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu and ex-premier Theodor Stolojan.

Outgoing President Emil Constantinescu, in a surprise announcement last July, said he would bow out of politics and not stand for re- election as he had been unable to stamp out corruption. Iliescu's leftist opposition Party of Social Democracy of Romania (PDSR) is expected to win 40 per cent of the seats and unseat the ruling anti-communist coalition government after four hapless years in office. The nationalist Greater Romania Party (Romania Mare) of Ceausescu admirer Tudor was expected to win 22 per cent of the parliamentary vote. Critics say the governing coalition government failed to initiate badly needed reforms to restore Romania's flagging economic fortunes. From among the partners in the ruling coalition, only the National Liberal Party (NLP) and the party representing the ethnic Hungarian minority, the UDMR, are expected to play a significant role in the new parliament, with 10 and 7 per cent of the vote respectively.

The NLP fielded Stolojan, a former prime minister, as its presidential candidate. Analysts say Iliescu's PDSR might form a coalition government with the NLP and the UDMR. The centre-right front, CDR 2000, which has provided the prime minister for the past four years, was not expected to win any seats at all. With only 6 per cent of the vote it would fall short of a threshold of 10 per cent set for alliances of parties.

(dpa)