Romania election bureau rejects vote repeat demand

Romania's election authority yesterday rejected a centrist opposition demand to cancel Sunday's ballot due to alleged vote counting fraud that gave the ruling ex-communist party a small lead.

The centrist alliance had said that the alleged electronic vote counting fraud had affected more than 160,000 ballots in Sunday's twin presidential and parliamentary elections.

"We rejected the demand to cancel the parliamentary election," said Emil Gherghut, president of the central electoral bureau.

The inconclusive vote has plunged the poor Balkan country into weeks of uncertainty as it tries to speed up efforts to join the European Union in 2007.

With about 99 per cent of ballots counted, the ruling Social Democrats are ahead with 37 per cent of the vote, followed by the alliance with 31 per cent. They are about 470,000 votes apart.

Alliance leader Traian Basescu, who is facing Prime Minister Adrian Nastase in a presidential runoff on December 12, accused the government of stealing votes, both through multiple voting and, yesterday, trough electronic fraud.

Mr Basescu said the number of invalid votes counted had decreased instead of increasing by the end of the day on Monday and those missing were given to Nastase and his party.

Government ministers have denied the claims and, in turn, accused the opposition of fraud.

Analysts said the opposition's claims were valid enough to at least merit an investigation.

The OSCE observers at the election had said that while the process was largely "professional and efficiently organised", authorities should investigate reports of multiple voting.