President Traian Basescu led by a slim margin in the first round of Romania"s presidential election on Monday, but the close results pointed to tough talks ahead on forming a new government, Reuters reported. Partial results from 74 percent of polling stations showed Basescu had 33 percent of the votes cast in Sunday"s ballot and Social Democrat (PSD) leader Mircea Geoana 30 percent. If Basescu defeats Geoana in the second round on Dec. 6, he will be able to choose a new prime minister to put an end to a government crisis that has delayed International Monetary Fund aid and put off investors.
