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Exit Poll Shows Romania's Iohannis Wins 2nd Term in Runoff

Associated Press

   BUCHAREST - An exit poll published in Romania on Sunday after the close
   of voting stations shows incumbent Klaus Iohannis easily winning a
   second term in the country's presidential election.

   Iohannis, a conservative, was facing Social Democratic Party leader
   Viorica Dancila, a former prime minister, in the runoff vote.

   An exit poll by the IRES independent think tank showed Iohannis getting
   67.1 % of the votes, with 32.9% for Dancila. In the first round two
   weeks ago, Iohannis won 37.8% and Dancila 22.2%. The exit poll has a
   margin of error of 2 percentage points. Official preliminary results
   were expected late Sunday.

   Iohannis has vowed to continue his efforts to fight corruption and
   strengthen the rule of law in this country of around 19.4 million
   people.

   "Romanian won! Modern, European, normal Romania won today," Iohannis
   said at the headquarters of the National Liberal Party after the
   release of the exit poll. "Romanians were the day's heroes. They went
   to vote in impressive numbers and this is the most important gain of
   this day."

   "I receive this victory with joy, thankfulness, modesty and with faith
   in Romania," said the 60-year-old former mayor of the city of Sibiu, a
   member of Romania's ethnic German minority who was a high school
   physics teacher before entering politics.

   For her part, speaking after casting her ballot in the morning, Dancila
   had promised "more involvement, work and commitment to the Romanian
   people."

   Dancila's government was ousted on Oct. 10 after losing a confidence
   vote in parliament. It had been embroiled by allegations of corruption
   and criticized by the European Union for judicial reforms seen as
   compromising the rule of law and the independence of judges.

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