BUCHAREST (dpa-AFX) - Far-right pro-Russia independent candidate Calin Georgescu has taken a surprise lead in Romania's presidential election.
With most of the votes counted, Georgescu won 22 percent, and the leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is close behind winning 20 percent, according to the Central Electoral Bureau's data.
With no candidate able to reach a simple majority, the election is likely heading to a run-off, to be held on 8 December, reports say.
Ciolacu is a populist Social Democrat and pro-west, while Georgescu is a critic of the European Union and NATO.
He had describing the installation of NATO's ballistic missile defense shield in Romania a 'shame of diplomacy.'
He campaigned with the promises of increased support for farmers, promoting energy and food production, and reducing dependency on imports.
A former Senior Fellow with the United Nations Development Program, Georgescu also held various positions in the UN system, including as UN Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and waste.
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