CHISINAU, October 1. /TASS/. Moldova’s ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) rigged the recent parliamentary elections by "drawing" votes for itself through the Central Election Commission and other government agencies, former President Igor Dodon said in comments to TASS.
Dodon leads the country’s largest opposition force, the Party of Socialists, and the newly formed Patriotic Bloc — built around his party — had emerged as the main challenger to PAS in the elections.
"The only intrigue surrounding the elections was how many votes the ruling party would ‘draw’ for itself in order to maintain power through the Central Election Commission, the Foreign Ministry, security agencies, police, and other state bodies under its control. But even through these manipulations, the opposition received more votes within the country than the ruling party," Dodon stated. He argued that PAS gained only a narrow margin due to fraud.