Status: 07/12/2021 9:00 AM
In the parliamentary elections in Moldova, after almost all the votes have been counted, the pro-European Malaysian Peace Party led by President Sandu shows a clear victory. Your opponent Dodon had previously prevented the formation of a government for months.
Citizens of the former Soviet Republic of Moldova (Moldova) elected a new parliament in a historic vote – and placed their trust in current President Maya Sandu. With nearly all votes counted, Sandu’s Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) was the strongest party with just under 53%. This came from data published by the Central Elections Committee at night.
According to the Electoral Commission, the pro-Russian Communists and Socialists around former President Igor Dodon received about 27 percent of the vote, and Schorr’s party got less than six percent. Only three of the more than 20 approved parties made it to parliament with its 101 seats. 3.3 million Moldovans were entitled to vote, but the turnout was only about 48 percent.
The distribution of the 101 seats is largely a question of whether Moldova can take the path toward the EU that Sandu is striving for. The crisis-ridden country that borders the European Union, Romania, has been torn between Russia and Europe since declaring its independence 30 years ago.
Maya Sandu’s predecessor in office, Igor Dodon, warns against alienating the country from Russia. It is especially popular among rural residents.
Photo: Environmental Protection Agency
Russia still enjoys great influence
Sandow had called for an early vote after pro-Russian forces around Dodon prevented a new government from forming for months. To date, Dodon supporters have a majority in the parliament in Chisinau.
Russian election observers considered the elections to be largely fair. Only individual violations were found, but she did not question the outcome.
Russia still wields significant influence in the small country that borders Ukraine as well – particularly in the region of Transnistria, which breaks off from Moldova and where the Russian military has been stationed since the early 1990s. Some 260,000 people from the breakaway region are also eligible to vote in Sunday’s elections. Recently, Moscow deplored the “unprecedented interference” by the United States and the European Union in Moldova’s internal affairs.