UPDATE: In a last minute notice, it seems that (as I assumed) the story does not end here. The official act mentioned here before was revoked today. Iliescu is really enjoying to play games. What if, now, he will play the role of the hero who saved the people?

After one of the last acts (if not the very last) signed by communist ex-president of Romania, Ion Iliescu, Miron Cozma (via @rgumente) was released from prison. Along with him, among others, Petre Isac, the first governmental counsellor convicted for corruption last year and ex-judge Valentino Acatrinei, convicted for corruption as well, Ioan Corpodeanu, ex-police deputy in Timisoara county, member of “Timisoara group”, convicted for 15 years for events in December 1989 (released in the day that marked 15 years from the beginning of the revolution), Vasile Buşe, ex-vice president of International Bank of Religions (BIR) convicted for abuse related with an illegal $1 milion credit.

In order to have everything, the Presidential act was counter-signed yesterday by the prime-minister, ex-presidential candidate, Adrian Nastase. Asked today in a press conference about it, Nastase said he “overheard” about this, but doesn’t know any detalis about it. Long live the democracy!!

Reuters coverage: Romania’s Iliescu Pardons Leader of Miners’ Riots

15:00: The more detailed news coming through, tell us that UDMR is just delaying signing-up the agreement with PSD annouced earlier for 15.00 today, and that they will open for negociations with both parts, looking for a stable majority in Parliament.

14:30: The National Consultative Council of UDMR, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, the fourth force in the new elected Parliament (but though, very important in terms of who’s gonna get the majority in actual context) just annouced few minutes ago they will switch, and they will support the DA (Truth and Justice) Alliance, despite the ex-communist PSD party declarations earlier. (Source: EuropaFM)

UPDATE: The final official results are out: Traian Basescu won with 51,23% (5.126.794 votes), while Adrian Nastase gathered only 48,77% (4.881.520 votes). There’s interesting stuff to happen in the next few days in trying to get a government that will have a clear majority in the Parliament. Will look into it in the near future.

After counting 92.1% of the votes it seems that the opposition leader, Traian Basescu won the presidential elections with 51.75% of the votes.

The latest developments with the request of Traian Basescu, on behalf of the opposition alliance make me think of Romania blaming Urs Maier, after we didn’t quallified for the Euro 2004. It’s not that we remained to depend on the last game of all, that we failed to score at least three times in excellent situations during that last game, or that we couldn’t just throw the ball away in those last minutes. It was Urs Maier fault ’cause he gave another extra minute after the announced ones and Denmark for using it, scoring and going to Portugal.

I totally admit that there was a fraud, big and considerable this time, but I really don’t think that “Ukraine solution” would do any good, or will help in any way. I really don’t think that this is the best available strategy for starting the run-off campaign.

I consider, on the other side, that the things should be said loud and clear, that they should go for it and try to identify and make it public for everybody what really happened and push really hard on Justice to play his role. After we proove that the fraud is big enough to change the elections than we might go out in the streets.

That, even if I really think we, as a nation, passed the state of mind that Ukraine is passing through at the moment, and that happened few years ago (and I don’t want to say we are more democratic or free) and I cannot really imagine people in Romania, going out in the streets and staying there for weeks just because there has been a fraud in the elections. I see us more in the state of mind of the americans, after the Florida-gate in 2000, and it’s true, that’s not something to be necessarily proud of.

UPDATE: The Central electoral Bureau (BEC) declined few minutes ago the opposition requests, without really explaining the difference in the numbers reported by them yesterday. I can say now, a thing that I was afraid before, that the reply was totally disgusting.

UPDATE 7: Newest results available for the morning of November, 30th, after counting 87.86% of the votes:

President:

Adrian Nastase: 40,71%

Traian Basescu: 33,55%

Senate:

PSD+PUR: 36,88%

D.A. (PNL+PD): 31,41%

PRM: 13,65%

UDMR: 6,87%

Parliament:

PSD+PUR: 36,37%

D.A. (PNL+PD): 31,00%

PRM: 12,94%

UDMR: 6,79%

The very small change from the last anouncement, as well as the very small number of votes remained to be counted, give me reasons that these will be the closest figures to the final results, decimal points variations that might come from now on beeing useless.

UPDATE 6: Presidential elections map

UPDATE 5: Read through what international mass media is saying about these elections

UPDATE 4: Capitulation banned!:

Before those who cannot lead a better life unless others lead a poorer one,

Before those who hold elections as a thief would hold a bundle of fake keys,

Before those who steal from the polls, as they have been stealing from the budget, salaries and taxes for a long time,

Before those who came up from the woods and invaded the locals,

Before those who rely upon the backwardness, ignorance and weakness of the forgotten counties of Romania,

Before them, Romania prepares its capitulation.
UPDATE 3: Want to find out more about who’s who, check this Elections, briefly for a short and objective analysis of the parties involved

UPDATE 2 (14:00): After half of the votes are counted the difference remained very small:

President:

Adrian Nastase: 38,90%

Traian Basescu: 34,82%

Senate:

PSD+PUR: 35,17%

D.A. (PNL+PD): 32,59%

Parliament:

PSD+PUR: 34,12%

D.A. (PNL+PD): 32,90%

UPDATE: Considering the tight difference Fraud worries in Romanian poll will be matter to study and debate.

There are also the few hundred of thousand votes that will come, later I suppose, from the romanians abroad.

First preliminary results, released few minutes ago (after counting 35.65% of the votes), reveal an incredible tight run, for parliament, with a difference of a little more than 1% between the two major political alliances, in favor of the Social Democrat Party (34,44 % vs. 33,21%).

In the run for presidency the difference is a little more than 3% in favour of Adrian Nastase (38,7% for Adrian Nastase vs. 35,46% fdr the opposition leadear Traian Basescu).

Next official preliminary results will come at 14.00 Bucharest time.