Few answer Romania President call for talks following low-turnout Sunday poll

Romanian President Traian Basescu has invited parliamentary parties for consultations on Thursday, November 29 following the two polls that took place in Romania last Sunday – a referendum on changing the the electoral system in Romania and the first European elections in the country. But only three parties agreed to attend the Thursday talks: the two parties supporting the president and the Hungarian Democrats.

Both the governing Liberals and the main opposition party, the Social Democrats, declined the invitation. And the Hungarian Democrats, who are a minority member of the government, said they would attend the talks out of politeness alone.

President Basescu is expected to make a formal stand in the near future about the failure of the Sunday referendum on introducing uninominal voting in Romania, which he sponsored but could not reach the necessary turnout threshold to be approved.