Bucharest, Dec 2 (IANS): Romania's Social Democratic Party (PSD), part of the ruling coalition, is projected to win the most seats in parliamentary elections, according to exit polls.

The exit polls projected PSD to secure 26.1 per cent of the vote for the Senate and 26 per cent for the Chamber of Deputies, giving it a lead of around 7 percentage points against the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the Centre for Urban and Regional Sociology and ARA Public Opinion SRL.

Another coalition partner, the National Liberal Party (PNL), is forecast to receive 15.9 per cent and 15.5 per cent of votes for the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, respectively, while the Save Romania Union (USR) is expected to follow closely with 15.6 per cent and 15.5 per cent.

Some other parties, such as SOS Romania and Young People's Party, may also surpass the 5 per cent threshold required to enter parliament.

Over 8,000 candidates competed for 332 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 137 in the Senate.

With more than 18 million registered voters, turnout reached 53.33 per cent, surpassing the rates of the last two elections in 2016 and 2020.