Moldova Ruling Party Candidate Fails To Win Chisinau Mayoral Vote

Chisinau's incumbent mayor clinched a second term, according to election results on Monday, marking a set-back for Moldova's ruling party which accused Russia of interfering in the lead-up to the vote

Chisinau, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Nov, 2023) Chisinau's incumbent mayor clinched a second term, according to election results on Monday, marking a set-back for Moldova's ruling party which accused Russia of interfering in the lead-up to the vote.

Tensions have soared between Russia and the former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Moldova applied to join the European Union last year and has repeatedly accused Russia of interference.

Ahead of Sunday's first round of local elections, President Maia Sandu warned that "parties paid by the Kremlin and disguised as pro-European parties... will try to subjugate Moldova to foreign interests" and accused them of buying votes.

A second round of voting is scheduled for November 19.

Her pro-European Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) said it came first in almost two-thirds of counties in the first round.

But its candidate failed to wrest the Chisinau mayorship from incumbent Ion Ceban.

Ceban, a former member of the pro-Russian Socialist party who later rebranded himself as pro-European, won almost 51 percent of votes cast, according to the final results.

PAS candidate Lilian Carp secured just 28 percent of the vote, falling short of expectations that he would be able to challenge Ceban in a second round.

But PAS said it was in first place in 19 out of the 32 counties and had clinched 240 mayoral posts.

In total, 898 mayors and more than 11,000 local councillors will be elected for a four-year term.

"These elections... are a test of our European journey," parliament speaker Ion Grosu of the PAS told reporters after the polls closed on Sunday.