Exit poll puts Romanian parties neck-and-neck

Parliamentary elections in Romania ended Sunday with the ruling centre-right National Liberal Party running neck-and-neck with the opposition Social Democrats, an exit poll said.

The exit poll by CURS-Avangarde showed the two parties almost evenly splitting around 60 percent of the vote.

"The Liberal Larty considers itself the winner of these elections," said prime minister and Liberal party leader Ludovic Orban.

But the leader of the opposition Social Democrats, Marcel Ciolacu, said his party had the advantage.

The progressive USR-Plus alliance is traliing in third place with around 15 percent.

The exit poll did not include ballots cast by Romanian expatriates who tend to support progressive politicians and have been specifically targeted by the USR-Plus alliance and the Liberals.

Around four million Romanians or nearly a fifth of the country's population live abroad, including some 750,000 who registered to vote on Sunday.