Voting

Christian Liberal Alliance's candidate Klaus Iohannis got 54.43 percent of the vote in the second round of the presidential elections on Sunday, while Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party - National Union for Romania's Progress - Conservative Party alliance polled 45.56 percent, according to the provisional final data released by the Central El

Mandatory voting could be introduced in Bulgaria as early as 2015, ruling party GERB's Deputy Chairman Tsvetan Tsvetanov says.

"For me it is more important to have 70-80% of voters determining representation in Bulgaria's Parliament, rather than 48 percent, as at the last vote," Tsvetanov, also a former Foreign Minister (2009-2013) told daily 24 Chasa.

As many as 114,607 Romanian voters living abroad turned out to the ballot by 1 p.m. on Sunday in the second round of voting for President of Romania, according to figures received by the Central Electoral Bureau from 263 polling stations out of a total 294 set up abroad.

Candidate of the Christian Liberal Alliance (ACL) in the Sunday's presidential runoff election Klaus Iohannis said upon leaving the polling station that he has voted for a Romania of respect and prosperity, for a strong Romania.'

Foreign Affairs Minister Titus Corlatean on Tuesday said that he proposed the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) representatives that the statutory declaration should be made available for the electors on the internet before the voting day and signed afterwards, in front of the polling station president.

The League of the Romanian Students from Abroad and CAESAR Foundation (the Center for Access to the Expertise of the Romanian Students and Graduates) voiced on Monday 'deep indignation and concern' over the manner in which the first round of the presidential elections was conducted on Sunday and asked that those responsible 'be held to account'.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Titus Corlatean on Sunday night said that several Romanian embassies, the one in London among them have requested an extension of the voting process, but the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) decided to deny it.

The president of the electoral bureau of the polling station will examine the copies of medical documents or other official documents attached to the written request to exercise the voting rights through the special ballot box, proving that the persons in question are non-transportable, the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) says in a decision adopted on Friday.

Elections held for councils of national minorities

BELGRADE -- According to first unofficial estimates of the CeSID agency, the list led by Sulejman Ugljanin has won the election for the Bosniak National Council.

The preliminary results will be announced on Monday, while the final results will be known on Thursday at the latest.

Some 46.9 percent of the Bulgarian voters used the preference tool while casting a ballot, Gallup agency has announced.

The October 5 early elections saw the first use of preferential voting in a national poll.

Official results from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) are expected later next week.