Political leaders in Romania and the European Parliament reacted promptly on Sunday evening to the exit-polls of the first EP elections that took place in Romania today and to the referendum organized simultaneously for the introduction of uninominal voting but which which failed due to low turnout.

• President Traian Basescu said on Sunday evening that he saw the low turnout in the uninominal voting referendum, which he strongly supported, as a lesson to be learned even for himself. But he said the result - some 89% of the active voters supporting the introduction of uninominal voting - was proof of the inequity proven by the electoral laws used so far. He said he would not cease to believe that Romanians want a thorough reform of the political class
• President Basescu said that in the 12 new member states that have joined the EU since 2004, turnout was low in the first European elections. And he said Romania was falling right behind Hungary in terms of turnout because European issues have not been debated enough.
• Speaking of the exit-poll results announced today, Basescu said they were proof the current Government leads Romania in a non-democratic manner as it was no longer representative for the country.
• Emil Boc, the leader of the Democratic Party (PD), best placed in the Sunday elections, proclaimed the victory of the party on Sunday night as it reported the best ever result in its political history and attracted more votes than the alliance between PD and the Liberals in the 2004 elections.
• Mircea Geoana, the leader of the Social-Democrats (PSD), second best blaced on Sunday, dismissed the meaning of the results as proof Romania was not a European democracy, considering how the poll was organized by what he called a weak Government and a power-hungry President.
• PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu, whose party came third with about 15% of the votes, said it was a historical day and said the result was way above expectations and that the focus was now on dealing seriously with European issues.
• The European Popular Party is impressed by its member parties in Romania elections, EPP group president Joseph Daul and EPP president Wilfried Martens said in a joint statement on Sunday evening. The EPP is represented by both the PD and the Hungarian Democrats (UDMR), which drew more than 6% of the votes in the Romanian EP poll.
• Based on exit-poll results, EPP expects to remain the strongest political party in the European Parliament with 282 members, including 11 from PD and two from UDMR.