Today, December 1 - Romania's National Day, the country's citizens will vote in parliamentary elections, BGNES reported.

In the context of the surprising results of the first round of the presidential elections on November 24, the upcoming parliamentary vote is shaping up to be crucial.

Election day starts at 7:00 a.m. local (and Bulgarian) time and ends at 9:00 p.m.

Romania's parliament is composed of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The parliamentary elections will determine the composition of both chambers and, subsequently, the formation of a new government.

The Chamber of Deputies has 332 seats, and the Senate consists of 137 deputies. Their members are elected by universal suffrage in 42 electoral districts, corresponding to 41 counties and Bucharest.

A total of 31 parties and alliances and 19 national minority organizations have registered to participate in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

Currently, the largest parliamentary groups belong to the Social Democratic Party - SDP (106 deputies and senators), followed by the coalition partners of the National Liberal Party - NLP (76), the reformist opposition party Union for the Salvation of Romania - SSR (39) and the far-right party Alliance for the Unification of Romanians - AUR (24).

The SDP and NLP remain key players in the upcoming parliamentary elections, but given the fact that none of their candidates reached the second round of the presidential election, they will face difficulties.

Meanwhile, the SSR, which gained momentum after its leader Elena Lasconi qualified for the second round of the presidential election, is likely to attract more voters. Calin Georgescu, who surprisingly led in the first round of the presidential election, could inspire alternative political movements or alliances and possibly bring votes to the far-right AOR.

The second round of the presidential election, in which Calin Georgescu will face Elena Lasconi, is scheduled for next Sunday, December 8. | BGNES