Dhaka  - Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed Sunday urged Romanian authorities to recruit Bangladeshi workers to help contribute to the south-east European country's economy.

The president was commenting during ceremonies as outgoing Romanian Ambassador Vasile Sofineti paid a farewell visit, with Ahmed offering skilled and semi-skilled labour, according to a statement released by the Presidential office.

Bucharest  - Romania's centre-left Social Democrats (PSD) were leading the centre-right Democratic Liberals (PDL) of President Traian Basescu by less than a percentage point in the country's parliamentary elections Monday.

With 99.62 per cent of Sunday's ballots counted, figures released by the Central Electoral Commission gave the Social Democrats' 33.09 per cent in the lower house compared to Basescu's PDL 32.34 per cent.

In the Senate, the PSD collected 34.12 per cent, while the PDL garnered 33.57 per cent.

Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu's National Liberal Party languished in third place with 18.57 per cent in the lower house and 18.75 per cent in the Senate.

Bucharest - The centre-right Democratic Liberals (PDL) of Romanian President Traian Basescu held a razor-thin lead in Romania's parliamentary elections, according to latest returns on Monday.

With 71 per cent of Sunday's ballots counted, the PDL were narrowly ahead of the opposition Social Democrats, while Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu's National Liberal Party languished in third place.

BUCHAREST, Romania, Nov. 30  -- Exit polls indicated Romanian voters favored the ex-communist Social Democrats in the country's general election Sunday.

The BBC reported that while the ultimate make-up of the next government remained uncertain, exit polls showed the Social Democrat candidates would receive about 36 percent of the vote. The governing National Liberals appeared to have about 20 percent and the party's former allies, the Liberal Democrats, were at about 31 percent, the British network said.

Bucharest  - The opposition Social Democrats are poised to become Romania's strongest party while ruling Prime Minister Calin Popescu's National Liberal Party suffered a clear defeat, according to exit polls released after Sunday's parliamentary elections.

In voting for both the Senate and the lower chamber of Parliament, separate exit polling by the survey organizations Insomar and CCSB put the Social Democrats (PSD) at
35 to 36 per cent of respondents.