Romania Vote to Test Power of Opposition
A united democratic opposition tested its strength to unseat remaining Communist officeholders as Romanians voted in local elections on Sunday.
More than 140,000 candidates competed for 2,951 mayoral posts and almost 40,000 city and county council slots in the first free local elections in more than 50 years.
Central Election Committee President Gheorghe Uglan said that about 65% of the 16.6 million registered voters had turned out by early evening.
Results were not expected before today.
In most areas, observers said the elections appeared to be proceeding without irregularities, but skirmishes were reported in Sapinta, 350 miles north of Bucharest.
Thousands of protesters blockaded the village to obstruct voting because their candidate for mayor, Toader Stetca, had been barred from running for office. Two men were injured.
In Bucharest, President Ion Iliescu, waiting in line to vote, predicted that the grip of the governing National Salvation Front would be weakened.
“The political balance will surely change because we have had two years of difficult governing,” he said.
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