Romanian election runoff Dec. 6

BUCHAREST, Romania, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Presidential hopefuls in Romania are gearing up for a runoff election after no candidate garnered the required 50 percent to win outright in Sunday's polling.

Exit polls indicated incumbent Traian Basescu led the field, taking more than 33 percent of the vote, Euronews.net reported Monday.

Basescu rival Mircea Geoana trailed by 2- or 3 percentage points, exit polls indicated.

The runoff was scheduled for Dec. 6.

The outcome is critical for Romania's effort to escape political and economic ills. When the government collapsed in October, the International Monetary Fund delayed part of a $29.7 billion (20 billion euro) loan earmarked to help revive the country's bruised economy, Euronews.net said.