PNL

Almost 19 million Romanians are expected to head to the polls today to a new parliament, amid an expected low voter turnout and with corruption dominating the debate.

Polls opened at 7am and will close at 9pm.

According to exit polls, the PSD won Sunday's local elections, as previously predicted, securing 37.5 per cent of the vote and giving it a boost ahead of parliamentary elections later this year, while the right-wing National Liberal Party, PNL won a projected 28 per cent.

Romanians were choosing 3,200 mayors, 41 chairs of district councils and more than 40,000 council members.

Investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, the DNA, have not stopped many Romanian politicians from campaigning for office in the June elections.

Parliamentary parties begin two days of consultations on Tuesday after President Klaus Iohannis asked them to discuss Romania's national security laws in a bid to tighten up legislation following the recent attacks in Brussels.

"I proposed to find out the political parties' opinion. I won't delay this process anymore," Iohannis said recently.

Local elected officials and political party members been changing their affiliations in recent weeks and joining parties in power in what analysts say is an attempt to ensure they retain their positions after June's polls.

Romania's National Liberal Party, PNL, says it will formally ask the new "technocratic" government of Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. to pass an emergency ordinance amending the electoral law, so that elections for mayors and county council presidents take place in two rounds.

Local elections are scheduled for the middle of 2016.

The National Liberal Party, PNL, on Wednesday decided that its candidates for next year's local and parliamentary elections in Romania have to comply with at least 10 criteria in order to be eligible to compete.

President Iohannis has to nominate a new PM | Photo: Pro TV. 

Leaders of Romania's main parties are to be invited to the presidential residence to start talks on the appointment of a new prime minister, after Victor Ponta resigned on Wednesday.

Ponta quit following mass protests over the nightclub fire that killed 32 young people.

Romania's decision-making chamber, the Chamer of Deputies, on Wednesday is to approve a law on voting by post, which leaders say will encourage participation in elections among Romanians living abroad.

Opposition lawmakers in Romania have failed in their bid to topple the government of Victor Ponta after a no-confidence vote mustered only 207 votes, well short of the 275 needed.

Most parliamentarians from Ponta's ruling Social Democratic Party, PSD, and its two junior allies did not vote.