Romanians vote to sack president

Polling stations opened Sunday at 0400 GMT to give Romanians a chance to decide whether to impeach their president Traian Basescu, bringing to a head three months of political warring.

Romania has been gripped by a bitter conflict between the conservative president and the Social-Liberal Union of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, which took power in May and quickly moved to oust Basescu, who has been in power for eight years.

In case turnout is lower than 50 percent, the referendum will be declared invalid and Basescu, suspended by parliament this month, will be reinstated and continue his mandate, which ends in 2014.