Romania's incumbent President Traian Basescu (L), Mircea Geoana (R), head of Romania's Social Democrat party and Crin Antonescu (C), leader of Romania's Liberal party, pose at the end of the final electoral debate between the main three candidates for Romania's presidency in Bucharest November 20, 2009. Romania will hold its presidential elections on Nov. 22, 2009.

Over 18 million eligible voters in Romania are expected to turn to polls on Sunday to elect a new president for the next five-year term.

A number of 12 candidates entered the race for the state's top position.

The incumbent President Traian Basescu is running for a second term, with the backing of the Liberal Democratic Party. The main political parties have nominated their leaders for the presidential race: Mircea Geoana runs on behalf of the Social Democratic Party; Crin Antonescu -- for the National Liberal Party;Corneliu Vadim Tudor -- for the Greater Romania Party; Kelemen Hunor -- for the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania and Gigi Becali -- for the Christian Democratic New Generation Party.

Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu runs as an independent, the same as Eduard Manole and Constantin Ninel Potirca, who chairs the Employers' Association of the Ethnic Roma Businessmen. Also running for Romania's President are Remus Cernea under the banner of the Green Party and Ovidiu Iane backed by the Romanian Ecologist Party. The list is completed by Constantin Rotaru from the Socialist Alliance Party.

Under the Constitution, the President is elected for a 5-year term, renewable once; two successive terms are allowed.

Basescu, Geoana and Antonescu, the best-ranked in the opinion polls confronted on Friday evening at the Parliament Palace in a debate marking the end of the one-month electoral campaign.

The current president thanked Romanians for their support in the past five years, using this occasion to sum up his mandate. "Ihad a mandate with accomplishments and failures, with mistakes, but never mistakes made on purpose," said Basescu.

Geoana stated he chose to be a candidate for the highest position in the state because he has a project linked to Romania. "I will be the president of the united Romanians," stated the leader of the Social Democrats, stressing that "I am not a man liking to divide people, a man seeking scandal." He also said he will treat Romania's Parliament, the future opposition and those with different opinions with respect.

Antonescu stated he chose to be a candidate to Romania's Presidency "because he had to." "The truth is that Romania is led by a political class formed of the same people. We have thousands of plans on the paper and less transposed into reality. A president needs ideas and above all character," underlined the liberal candidate.

Romania has been in a political gridlock since mid-October, when its democrat liberal government was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, a first in the 20 years after the fall of the communist regime.

President Traian Basescu failed to win Parliament support for anew prime minister and the country will likely not have a legitimate government in place before the election runoff scheduled for December 6.