Financiarul

By 9 pm, when polling stations closed, 53.52 percent of the number of voters on the electoral registers cast their vote on Romania’s President during the presidential election on November 22, according to spokesman for the Central Electoral Bureau Marian Muhulet.

In towns and cities 51.50 percent of voters cast their vote and in the country 56.30 percent voted on the President. In 20 counties the turnout was above the national average, higher percentages were in Ilfov (southern Romania), 64.12 percent, Teleorman (southern Romania), 63.08 percent, Mehedinti (south¬western Romania), 61.53 percent, Dambovita (southern Romania), 60.85 percent, and Giurgiu (southern Romania), 60.56 percent.

In Olt County (southern Romania) the turnout stood at 60.31 percent, in Gorj (southern Romania), 58.83 percent, Valcea (southern Romania), 58.16 percent, Arges (southern Romania), 57.73 percent, Dolj (southern Romania), 57.48 percent, Alba (central Romania), 57.32 percent, Prahova (southern Romania), 55.84 percent, Constanta (south-eastern Romania), 55.74 percent, Buzau (southern Romania), 55.70 percent, Bistrita-Nasaud (central Romania), 55.66 percent, Salaj (western Romania), 54.56 percent, Botosani (north-eastern Romania), 54.22 percent, Brasov (central Romania), 54.17 percent, Hunedoara (central Romania), 54.15 percent, Suceava (northern Romania), 53.73 percent, Ialomita (southern Romania), 53.45 percent, Vrancea (eastern Romania), 53.39 percent, Braila (eastern Romania), 53.20 percent, Calarasi (southern Romania), 53.02 percent, Cluj (central Romania), 52.98 percent, Sibiu (central Romania), 52.90 percent, Bihor (western Romania), 52.84 percent, Galati (eastern Romania), 52.83 percent, Iasi (eastern Romania), 52.61 percent, Arad (western Romania), 51.72 percent, Mures (central Romania), 51.32 percent, Bacau (eastern Romania), 50.75 percent, Neamt (eastern Romania), 50.62 percent, Bucharest, 50.09 percent, Timis (western Romania), 50.00 percent, Caras-Severin (western Romania) 49.75 percent, and Tulcea (south-eastern Romania), 48.64 percent.

A lower turnout was registered in Satu Mare (north-western Romania), 41.65 percent, Covasna (central Romania), 42.38 percent, Harghita (central Romania), 44.18 percent, Maramures (northern Romania), 47.25 percent, and Vaslui (eastern Romania), 48.22 percent. In Bucharest the turnout stood at 50.09 percent, people living in sector 1 being the first in point of turnout.

In towns and cities a high turnout was registered in the towns and cities in Ilfov County, 59.94 percent, Prahova, 57.01 percent, Alba, 56.22 percent, Arges, 55.73 percent, and Dambovita, 55.54 percent, the lowest turnout being in Covasna, 40.84 percent, Harghita, 41.28 percent, and Satu Mare, 41.48 percent. In the country the most numerous people cast their vote in Teleorman County, 68.53 percent, Mehedinti, 68.32 percent, and Ilfov, 67.29 percent. A low turnout was also registered in the villages in Satu Mare County, 41.82 percent, Covasna, 44.11 percent, and Harghita, 46.64 percent.

The data were estimated on the basis of a representative sample made up of 6,011 polling stations with an error margin of plus/minus 3 percent. During the first round of voting in 2000, by 9 pm, 56.52 percent of voters had gone to the polls, and during the 2004 election, 57.13 percent of the Romanians having a vote had cast their vote by the same time.