Turmoil overshadows Romania vote as far right hopes to gain ground
Voice of America
People unload bags of ballots from a truck at the Timis county Electoral Bureau in Timisoara, Romania, on Nov. 29, 2024.
Still reeling from this week's shock developments, Romanians returned to the polls Sunday to elect their Parliament, with the far right tipped to win, potentially heralding a shift in the NATO country's foreign policy.
FILE - Bosnian Serb's lawmakers take part in the parliament session in Banja Luka, Dec. 10, 2021. Lawmakers, Dec. 25, 2024, ordered Serb representatives in state institutions to block decision-making and reform laws needed for the Balkan country's integration into the EU.
FILE - A man looks at the social media platform TikTok on his smartphone in Hanoi on October 6, 2023.
Loraine Mwanza, chairperson of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), speaks at the launch of the USAID-Funded MISA Freedom of Expression Report at the Protea Hotel in Lusaka, Dec. 17, 2024. (Kathy Short for VOA)
FILE - Sheikh Hasina checks her watch as she waits for the official opening time to cast her vote in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan. 7, 2024.
People take shelter at a metro station during an air raid alert, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, December 25, 2024.
FILE - A man looks at the social media platform TikTok on his smartphone in Hanoi on October 6, 2023.
Loraine Mwanza, chairperson of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), speaks at the launch of the USAID-Funded MISA Freedom of Expression Report at the Protea Hotel in Lusaka, Dec. 17, 2024. (Kathy Short for VOA)
FILE - U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stand guard at Al Naeem Square, in Raqqa, Syria, Feb. 7, 2022.
France's newly appointed Prime Minister Francois Bayrou looks on after the handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon , the Prime Minister residence, in Paris, Dec. 13, 2024.
FILE - Families with young children pose for photos in Beijing, Feb. 13, 2021. Struggling with an aging population and declining birth rates, China is trying to shift its population policies to avert a demographic crisis.
Pope Francis presides over the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024, after opening the basilica's Holy Door marking the start of the Catholic jubilar year 2025. Pope Francis presides over the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024, after opening the basilica's holy door marking the start of the Catholic jubilar year 2025. Pope Francis opens the Holy Door to mark the opening of the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024. The first pilgrims pass through after Pope Francis opened the Holy Door to mark the opening of the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024.