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 rise of anti-establishment sentiment, fuelled by economic woes, has led to a potential coalition government that could be difficult to form.

Romania's ruling center-left Social Democrats were poised to secure the most votes in Sunday's parliamentary election, according to preliminary results published Monday.

Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) received 22.5% of the votes during the parliamentary elections, according to results from more than 99% polling stations published on Dec. 2.

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 nation

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.