Final provisional count of the presidential election: Ponta - 40.44 pct, Iohannis - 30.37 pct

Victor Ponta, endorsed by an alliance of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Union for Romania's Progress (UNPR) and the Conservative Party (PC), won 40.44 per cent of the votes in the November 2 first round of the presidential election, while the endorsee of the Christian-Liberal Alliance (ACL) won 30.37 per cent, according to data released on Tuesday by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) reflecting the vote count reports from all the polling stations.

According to the same data, voting for Ponta were 3,836,093 voters and voting for Iohannis were 2,881,406.

Third came in independent candidate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, with 5.36 per cent (508,572), followed by Elena Udrea of the People's Movement Party (PMP), 5.20 per cent ( 493,376); independent Monica Macovei, 4.44 per cent (421.648), and Dan Diaconescu of the People's Party — Dan Diaconescu (PP-DD) — 4,03 per cent (382,526).

According to BEC, Corneliu Vadim Tudor of the Greater Romania Party (PRM) won 3.68 per cent (349,416); Kelemen Hunor of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) — 3.47 per cent ( 329,727); independent Teodor Melescanu — 1.09 per cent (104,131); Szilagyi Zsolt of the Magyar People's Party of Transylvanian (PPMT) — 0.56 per cent (53,146); independent Gheorghe Funar — 0.47 per cent (45,405); William Brinza of the Romanian Green Party (PER) — 0.45 per cent (43,184); Constantin Rotaru of the Socialist Alliance Party (PAS) — 0.30 per cent (28,805) and Prodemo's Mirel Mircea Amaritei won 0.08 per cent (7,895).

Nationwide, 9,723,232 voters cast their ballots in the Sunday's first round of the presidential election. Voter turnout was 53.17 per cent of the total voters registered with the permanent voter rolls. AGERPRES