The parliamentary election comes amid a tense political crisis caused by the unexpected victory of an ultranationalist, Russia-admiring independent candidate for president, Călin Georgescu, last Sunday.
In a potential signal of how the second round could go, the far-right momentum that boosted Georgescu appeared to continue in the parliamentary vote. In addition to AUR, two other far-right parties, S.O.S. Romania and the Party of Young People each got 5.5 percent, just above the threshold to obtain seats, according to the exit poll.
Reformist Union Save Romania (USR) and center-right National Liberal Party (PNL) are each expected to receive 15.5 percent of the votes.
USR is the party of Elena Lasconi, the liberal leader currently set to face off against Georgescu in the race for the presidency on Dec. 8.
To govern, the PSD will have to form a coalition, which could potentially include its current governing partner, PNL.
The three far-right parties would not be able to form a majority coalition, according to the current results.
