Romanians exult at fall of Communists

Millions of Romanians were yesterday celebrating the final ousting from power of the former Communists who had ruled them since the overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989.

With nearly all votes counted, Emil Constantinescu, of the centre-right Democratic Convention (CDR), had assured victory in the presidential election against his former Communist rival, Ion Iliescu, and was heralding the advent of a new era of genuine democracy. Mr Constantinescu's success, which came two weeks after the CDR won power in parliamentary elections, completed the swing against former Communists in Romania. And for the tens of thousands of revellers who took to the streets, it marked the final completion of the bloody revolt that toppled Ceausescu.