The ruling Action and Solidarity (PAS) party in Moldova failed to win a single mayor’s seat in 11 major cities of the republic, according to the results of local elections according to the Central Election Commission.
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Last Sunday, the second round of elections for mayors and heads of rural administrations took place in 273 settlements in Moldova, and repeat elections were held in another eight villages due to low turnout in the first round. The turnout at the elections in most localities, including Balti, the second largest city in Moldova, exceeded 20%, so they were recognized as valid.
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In the first round of local elections held in Moldova on November 5, PDS representatives lost in Chisinau, Cahul, Ceadir-Lunga (Gagauz autonomy), Hincesti, Orhei, Soroca and Straseni. In the second round, held on November 19, candidates from the ruling party lost the elections in Ungheni. Candidates from the ruling PDS did not participate in the elections in other municipalities – Edinet, Balti and Comrat (Gagauz Autonomy), since they lost the electoral race here on November 5.
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According to the law on the administrative-territorial structure of Moldova, there are 13 large cities in the country, two of them – Tiraspol and Bendery – are located on the territory of Transnistria, which official Chisinau does not control.
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To observe the elections, the Central Election Commission accredited 1,493 observers, of which 1,092 were national and 401 were international. They represented eight different public national organizations and 36 international ones. The Moldovan authorities refused accreditation to Russian observers.
