BUCHAREST -- Romanian voters on Sunday will try to end a two-month political vacuum that has blocked economic changes and postponed an international aid program.

Center-right President Traian Basescu, a blunt-talking former ship captain, lost his lead in the polls this week after a spate of political gaffes and a dispute over a video. His challenger, Social Democratic Party candidate Mircea Geoana, is a former foreign minister and ambassador to Washington.

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