Presidential elections begin in Romania

Combination photo of the main three candidates for Romania's presidency, Romania's incumbent President Traian Basescu (C), Mircea Geoana (L), head of Romania's Social Democrat party, and Crin Antonescu (R), leader of Romania's Liberal party, speaking during the final electoral debate between the main three candidates for Romania's presidency in Bucharest on Nov. 20, 2009. Romania will hold its presidential elections on Nov. 22, 2009. Pictures taken Nov. 20, 2009. (Reuters Photo)

Romania's incumbent President Traian Basescu (L), Mircea Geoana (R), head of Romania's Social Democrat party and Crin Antonescu (C), leader of Romania's Liberal party, pose at the end of the final electoral debate between the main three candidates for Romania's presidency in Bucharest November 20, 2009. Romania will hold its presidential elections on Nov. 22, 2009. (Reuters Photo)

BUCHAREST, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The presidential elections began on Sunday morning in Romania, over 18 million eligible voters are expected to turn to polls to elect a new president for the next five-year term.

A number of 12 candidates entered the race for the state's top position.

The incumbent President Traian Basescu is running for a second term, with the backing of the Liberal Democratic Party. The main political parties have nominated their leaders for the presidential race: Mircea Geoana runs on behalf of the Social Democratic Party; Crin Antonescu -- for the National Liberal Party; Corneliu Vadim Tudor -- for the Greater Romania Party; Kelemen Hunor -- for the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania and Gigi Becali -- for the Christian Democratic New Generation Party, while Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu runs as an independent.

The best-ranked candidates in the opinion polls are Basescu, Geoana and Antonescu.

Under the Constitution, the President is elected for a 5-year term, renewable once; two successive terms are allowed.

Romania has been in a political gridlock since mid-October, when its democrat liberal government was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, the first in the 20 years after the fall of the communist regime.

President Traian Basescu failed to win Parliament support for anew prime minister and the country will likely not to have a legitimate government in place before the election runoff scheduled for December 6.