Pro-Western parties have won the most votes in Romania’s parliamentary election and will look to form a coalition government as the European Union country faces a surge of support for far-right nationalists who made huge gains in the country’s legislature.

The first round of Romania's presidential election brought unprecedented turmoil following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference.

Romania on Friday began recounting the votes from last week's dramatic first-round presidential election, amid concerns the ballot might be annulled as authorities pointed to Russia's influence and alleged interference via TikTok.

Romania’s Social Democratic Party looked set to win the most votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election, incomplete data showed, while far-right populists were on track to make significant gains in the country’s legislature.

Romania’s top court ordered a vote recount in the first round of the presidential election, it said on Thursday, in a ruling observers said risked tarnishing the credibility of state institutions ahead of two more ballots.

Romanians vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday, one week after an independent far-right candidate won the most votes in the first round of a presidential election, a result now under review by the country's top court.

Calin Georgescu, who had been widely dismissed as a fringe candidate, won the most votes on Sunday with 22.9 percent. He will face a more centrist opponent in the second round on Dec. 8.

Romanian centrist and leftist parties looked to have fended off a surge by the nationalist right in Sunday's parliamentary election, as attention turned to a top court ruling later on Monday on whether to annul the results of a presidential vote.

Their gains in a campaign dominated by voters' concerns over budget problems and the cost of living could upend Romania's pro-Western orientation and undermine support for Ukraine.