Incumbent President Traian Basescu was headed for victory in a tight presidential runoff in Romania, election authorities said Monday, in a race Romanians hope will pull the country out of its worst political and economic crisis in 20 years.

With 99.13 percent of the vote counted, election authorities said centrist Basescu polled 50.37 percent of the vote, while former foreign minister Mircea Geoana received 49.62 percent. Geoana's allies alleged the results may have been rigged, and his Social Democrats said they were doing a parallel count.

The tally comes after a night of uncertainty. Both Basescu and Geoana claimed victory late Sunday after polls closed, and three exit polls gave the left-leaning Geoana a slight lead.

Final results are expected later Monday.

Geoana, a leader of the Social Democrats who has branded himself a unifier and team builder, had declared himself the winner Sunday, calling exit poll results "a victory for normalcy, a victory for decency, for all citizens who want a better life."

But Basescu claimed the exit polls were deceptive.

"You will see the manipulations on the television stations . . . Today you can trust me fully when I tell you I won," he said.

There was no immediate reaction early Monday from either candidate to the official results.

Klaus Johannis, the mayor of the city of Sibiu _ who Geoana had said he would appoint prime minister if he won the race _ appeared to concede defeat early Monday. "It seems this chapter is closed. I won't be coming to Bucharest any longer."

Adriean Videanu, a senior member of the Democratic Liberals who supported Basescu, said "Basescu is the new president of Romania. He won with his ally, the Romanian citizen. They defeated the greatest ever alliance against them" since communism was overthrown.

But Geoana aide, Cosmin Gusa, accused Basescu of cheating. "He and his people did what they know best_ rigging (the election)."

Former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, who ran for president against Basescu in 2004, also said he believed there may have been cheating. "I am inclined to believe that accusations of fraud are founded," and I will discuss this with my party colleagues, he said before heading into a meeting of the Social Democrats.

Former President Ion Iliescu called the results "suspect" and said there were "many reports" of many irregularities.