The two parties in Romania's ruling coalition won the most votes in the June 7 European Parliament elections and are each expected to take one third of the 33 MEP seats on offer, exit polls showed.

The centre-left Social-Democrats have won 30.8 per cent of the vote, according to the exit poll by local polling agency Insomar, quoted by broadcaster Realitatea TV. The centrist Democrat-Liberals were just 0.3 per cent behind. Each party is expected to win about 11 seats.

The two opposition parties, centre-right National-Liberals and the ethnic Democratic Union of Hungarians, are expected to win 16.7 per cent and 8.9 per cent, respectively, which would entitle them to six and two seats, respectively.

Nationalist Greater Romania party, which did not make it into the Romanian Parliament in the 2008 elections, was credited with 7.2 per cent of the votes, which would entitle the party to send two MEPs to Brussels.

Elena Basescu, the daughter of president Traian Basescu, won 3.4 per cent as an independent and will also join the European Parliament, although she will do so as a member of the Liberal-Democrat party. She left the party to run on her own after political opponents accused her of getting a free ride.

Romania elected 33 MEPs, two fewer than in 2007. The Liberal Democrats, despite their strong showing, are expected to lose at least four seats in European Parliament, having sent 16 MEPs to European Parliament in 2007.

Turnout was 27.2 per cent, the election authorities said.