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00:00A record turnout for these parliamentary elections, which happened to be held on the same day
00:05as the national holiday celebrating the Great Union of Romania in 1918.
00:11Voters heading to the polls are expressing a wide range of feelings.
00:14Some are concerned about a possible record score for far-right parties and a possible
00:19regression for democracy, while others emphasize the need for a protest vote, the need for
00:24an anti-establishment and a conservative choice.
00:28We've already seen the rise of the far-right last Sunday during the first round of the
00:31presidential election, when far-right candidate Călin Georgescu arrived first with almost
00:3623% of the vote.
00:39Frustrated by the high cost of living, many voters are disillusioned with the major parties
00:44that have dominated Romanian politics since the fall of communism.
00:48Far-right parties have also capitalized on strong feelings linked to nationalism and
00:52religion and their messages were widely shared on social media.
00:57Romania is also in a period of uncertainty after the Constitutional Court has called
01:01for a recount of the votes from the first round of the presidential election.
01:06It will announce tomorrow whether the results will be validated or if the vote will need
01:10to be repeated.
01:11The run-off was initially planned for December 8th.
01:14So this is certainly a decisive moment for the country, which shares a long border with
01:19Ukraine.
01:20Some observers suggest that the election represents a choice between consolidating Romania's
01:25pro-European path or a nationalism that could isolate the country.
01:31First result estimates are expected to come in after the polls close at 9pm local time.