Romania heads to the polls on Sunday to elect its next president. The firm favourite to win the second-round run-off is Prime Minister Victor Ponta, despite corruption probes and convictions of some of his senior aides.<br /><br />Ponta’s campaign slogan is “Proud to be Romanians”. <br /><br />Some say that’s a dig at his German speaking opponent Klaus Iohannis.<br /><br />The 55-year-old physics teacher is seen as a gentleman in the rough and tumble of Romanian politics.<br /><br />Iohannis said he’s best suited to continue the country’s battle against corruption.<br /><br />The next president will face difficult tasks such as maintaining the independence of the judiciary system, something that has been closely monitored by the European Union. <br /><br />Romania is the second poorest state in the European Union,which it joined in 2007, and also one of the bloc’s most corrupt member states, according to Transparency International.
