Chişinău: pro-Europeans win parliament majority

President Sandu's Pas party exceeds 50% of the vote. The pro-Russia bloc of socialists and communists defeated. The vote of Moldovans abroad made the difference. Sandu promises a peaceful solution for Transnistria. Natalia Gavrilitsa is likely to be the new premier.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Moldovan President Maia Sandu's pro-European Action and Solidarity (PAS) party won over 52% of the vote in the July 11 parliamentary elections. This is the first time since 2009 that a party has secured an absolute majority in the country squeezed between Russia, Ukraine and Romania. Pas also broke the communist record of 50.07% in 2001, the highest result in the 30-year post-Soviet period. Sandu has already announced that she intends to proceed with a one-party government, with no alliances with other parties.

In second place was the pro-Russian bloc of socialists and communists. Led by former presidents Igor Dodon and Vladimir Voronin, the electoral cartel gained 27.2%. The Šor party of businessman Ilan Šor, with 5.8%, and the party of German businessman Renato Usatij, which won 4.1%, also entered parliament. All other parties failed to pass the 4% barrier, and will now have to redistribute their votes. Participation was the lowest in recent history in a parliamentary election, remaining 48.41% below the majority of voters.

Following the dissolution of parliament in April, Moldova's parliamentary elections were held ahead of their natural expiry date; the 101 MPs now elected are expected to remain in office for a period of four years. Dodon's Socialists and his allies controlled the previous legislature: pro-Moscow formations tried hard to oppose the European integration policy of Sandu, the country's president since December 2020. The Constitutional Court had accepted the dissolution, given the inability of parliament - which Sandu described as "corrupt" - to vote on the formation of a government.

The resounding result in Sandu's favour was mainly due to the votes of Moldovans living abroad, driven in particular by the protests in Transnistria. In the strip of land on the Black Sea, still partly controlled by the Russians and run by a separatist government, 41 polling stations had been opened. Sandu promised to find a solution for Transnistria without conflict with the Russian Federation.

Crowds of Sandu's supporters celebrated in the square in the centre of the capital, where Pas is based, chanting slogans such as "we have the majority!" and "the country for the young!". The two Pas leaders, Igor Grosu and Natalia Gavrilitsa, were there to greet the crowd. Gavrilitsa is expected to form the new executive, thus completing the tandem of "democratic women" in power in Moldova.

• moldova
• russia
• economy
• elections
• igor dodon maia sandu
• transnistria
• vladimir putin
• opposition
• fraud
• natalia gavrilitsa
• parliament