Unemployment and social protection are big issues in Romania, which has gone from being one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies to a recipient of international rescue loans.
Romania faces tough challenges in the current crisis. Demand for its exports has fallen and thousands of Romanians who found jobs in older EU member states – notably Italy and Spain – face an uncertain future.
The elections are a test for the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Emil Boc, whose centre-right Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) governs with the Social Democrat Party (PSD).
Romania, like neighbouring Bulgaria, is under EU pressure to reform its judiciary and stamp out government corruption.
Former model Elena Basescu gives this campaign a touch of glamour. Dubbed the “Paris Hilton of the Carpathians,” she is the daughter of President Traian Basescu and is running as an independent.
