The election results on Monday 6 November saw the incumbent mayor of Chisinau elected for a second term, a defeat for Moldova’s ruling party.
The pro-European Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) said it came first in almost two-thirds of counties in the first round. A second round of voting is scheduled for 19 November. However, its candidate failed to win back the post of Chisinau mayor from incumbent Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban.
Ceban, a former member of the pro-Russian Socialist Party who later renamed himself pro-European, won almost 51 per cent of the vote.
PAS candidate Lilian Karp won just 28 per cent of the vote, falling short of hopes that she could compete with Ceban in the second round. However, PAS said it came first in 19 of 32 districts and won 240 mayoral posts.
A total of 898 mayors and more than 11,000 local councillors will be elected for four-year terms. Parliament speaker Ion Grosu of the PAS told reporters after polls closed:
These elections… are a test of our European journey.
