Leftist party wins Romania's parliamentary election

BUCHAREST, Romania, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Romania's Social Democratic Party announced it will form a coalition government after winning the country's parliamentary election.

The leftist party, known as PSD, received 46 percent of the vote in Sunday's election. A longtime liberal ally, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, received 6 percent. Together they will have enough seats in the 504-person legislature to return to power after the PSD was forced from leadership in 2015 amid charges of corruption and government ineptitude.

Voters used a Bucharest nightclub fire in October 2015, in which 27 people were killed, as the focus of discontent with the government.

PSD leader Liviu Dragnea promised reforms, tax cuts and pension increases in the campaign.

"I want to assure all Romanians that everything we have presented in our economic program during this electoral campaign will be implemented by a PSD government," he said Sunday.

Polls indicate the center-right National Liberal Party finished second in Sunday's elections with 20 percent of the vote. The newly formed, anti-corruption Save Romania Union party received 9 percent of the votes, exit polls indicate.

The election was a remarkable comeback for Dragnea, who, his party hopes, will be installed as prime minister. He is currently serving a two-year suspended sentence for electoral fraud, which legally excludes him from office.