CHISINAU, September 28. /TASS/. Voting in the parliamentary elections in Moldova has concluded. According to the Central Election Commission, polling stations across the country will close at 9:00 p.m. (6L00 p.m. GMT), voting will continue in several Western countries, where election organizers are using local time.
As of 9:00 p.m., turnout was 51% (1.5 million voters), exceeding the 33.3% threshold required for the vote and plebiscite to be valid. The elections were held in a tense atmosphere due to blocking access to polling stations for residents of the unrecognized Transnistria. Throughout the day, reports emerged first of roadblocks, then of intensified police checks, causing long lines of vehicles. By evening, Moldovan police reported the closure of several bridges and polling stations for Transnistrians along the Dniester following anonymous threats to bomb buildings and structures.
Observers and law enforcement agencies also reported violations throughout the day, including the organized transportation of voters, illegal campaigning, and attempts to bribe voters. However, representatives of the Central Electoral Commission dismissed these incidents as insignificant and chose to ignore the situation at the polling stations for Transnistrians.
For these elections, Chisinau reduced the number of polling stations for Transnistrians with Moldovan passports by a third, to 12. Four of these stations were subsequently moved further inland. Observers and the opposition linked these steps to the desire of President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity to restrict voting by Transnistrian residents who do not support the pro-European government in Chisinau.
More than 3,000 observers monitored the vote. Among them are over 600 representatives from more than 20 countries, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and EU organizations. Representatives from Russia and CIS institutions were not invited or were refused invitations.
Voting results
As early as 10:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. GMT), the Central Election Commission of the Republic traditionally begins publishing the first results.
To enter parliament, blocs must overcome a 7% threshold, parties a 5% threshold, and independent candidates a 2% threshold. After tallying the election results, the Central Election Commission submits them to the Constitutional Court of the country for approval within 24 hours, which within five days issues a ruling on the election's compliance with the law.