Exit Polls: Romanian Leader Is on Way Out
Romanians appeared Sunday to have opted for a new start, with exit polls suggesting they elected a newcomer to the presidency over the wily ex-Communist who led them through the first years of democracy.
Results were not expected until this afternoon. But exit polls aired on private and state television just after voting ended at midnight suggested that Emil Constantinescu had defeated incumbent Ion Iliescu.
One poll said Constantinescu had about 53% of the vote, compared with more than 47% for Iliescu, with a one-point margin of error. The other poll had similar percentages.
Iliescu appeared to concede defeat. “I never thought I would lose, but I was aware of the handicap of these hard years,” he said.
Iliescu has led Romania since a 1989 revolution overthrew dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
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