Bucharest, Dec 2 (IANS): Romania's Social Democratic Party (PSD), part of the ruling coalition, has emerged as the frontrunner in Sunday's parliamentary elections, according to near-complete results released by the Central Electoral Bureau on Monday.

The PSD secured 22.12 per cent of the vote for the Senate and 21.9 per cent for the Chamber of Deputies. Despite retaining its status as the largest political party in Romania, the PSD experienced a decline in its parliamentary representation compared to previous terms.

The nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians, a surprise contender in the last election, surged to second place with 17.95 per cent of the vote for the Senate and 17.56 per cent for the Chamber of Deputies.

Another coalition partner, the National Liberal Party, garnered 14.64 per cent of the vote for the Senate and 13.68 per cent for the Chamber of Deputies. It was followed by the Save Romania Union with 11.02 per cent and 11.06 per cent, respectively.

Partial results indicate that no single party is poised to secure a majority, making a coalition government almost inevitable, Xinhua news agency reported.

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, the voter turnout reached 53.33 per cent, surpassing the rates from the 2016 and 2020 elections.