( CNN ) -- Embattled Romanian President Traian Basescu declared victory late Sunday after low voter turnout appeared to doom a referendum on whether to remove him from office . The Central Electoral Bureau estimated turnout at 45.9 % , short of the majority of registered voters needed for the vote to be valid . Basescu had urged his supporters to boycott the polls , telling reporters , `` The best help today is to stay home . '' After the polls closed at 11 p.m. ( 4 p.m . ET ) , he said voters had rejected a `` coup '' by Prime Minister Victor Ponta and the interim president , Crin Antonescu . Asked if he was certain about the figures , he told them , `` I 'm never wrong . '' Election officials ' estimate was based on a survey of nearly 3,000 polling stations across the country , about 6 % of the precincts . They estimated their sampling error at about 3 percentage points . Exit polls from Romanian television stations indicated turnout was about 44 % late Sunday , and that the overwhelming majority of those voting favored Basescu 's impeachment . That led Ponta to say Basescu `` should strongly consider whether he is still legitimate or not in the office . '' `` I believe that any politician that says he can ignore the voice of almost 9 million people is totally unrealistic , '' Ponta said . Ponta 's Social Liberal Union ( USL ) disputed the turnout figures , saying it had estimated 9.2 million people had voted -- slightly over 50 % -- which would mean Basescu would be ousted . Final results are expected Monday . Basescu has been suspended since the USL-led parliament voted to impeach him in early July , saying he overstepped his authority by ordering wage and benefit cuts for public workers . Basescu said the measures were needed to meet the terms of a $ 24 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund for the cash-strapped country , but the move soured many Romanians on his leadership . Romanian president suspended . Opponents also accuse Basescu of cronyism . He took office eight years ago and has already survived one effort to remove him , in 2007 . The latest crisis in the southeastern European nation -- slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Oregon -- has sent its currency , the leu , plummeting to record lows . Romanian president faces impeachment . Two pro-Basescu governments have collapsed , paving the way for Ponta 's center-left USL to take office . Ponta succeeded in getting lawmakers to not only suspend Basescu , but to remove both speakers of parliament and replace them with allies . In voting Sunday , Ponta expressed anger that the prime minister of neighboring Hungary , Viktor Orban , had urged Romania 's ethnic Hungarian minority not to vote . `` I want Romanians to decide their own fate , '' Ponta said . Ponta is dealing with his own controversy : He has been accused of plagiarizing his doctoral thesis . He has dismissed the accusation as a political attack from Basescu . Journalist Cosmin Stan contributed to this report .
Romania : Election officials estimate turnout at 46 % . Basescu claims victory as exit polls show low turnout . Prime minister says Basescu should consider stepping down despite victory . The embattled Romanian president had urged supporters to boycott Romania 's vote .