Moldova pro-EU candidate fails to win Chisinau mayoral post

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Chisinau’s incumbent mayor clinched a second term, according to election results on Monday (6 November), marking a set-back for Moldova’s ruling party, which accused Russia of interfering in the lead-up to the vote.

Tensions have soared between Russia and the former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moldova applied to join the European Union last year and has repeatedly accusing Russia of interference.

Ahead of Sunday’s first round of local elections, President Maia Sandu warned “parties paid by the Kremlin and disguised as pro-European parties… will try to subjugate Moldova to foreign interests” and accused them of buying votes.

Her 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.

But its candidate failed to wrest the Chisinau mayorship from incumbent Ion Ceban.

Ceban, a former member of the pro-Russian Socialist party who later rebranded himself as pro-European, won almost 51% of votes, according to the final results.

PAS candidate Lilian Carp secured just 28% of the vote, falling short of expectations that he would be able to challenge Ceban in a second round.

But PAS said it was in first place in 19 out of 32 counties and had clinched 240 mayoral posts.

In total, 898 mayors and more than 11,000 local councillors will be elected for a four-year term.

“These elections… are a test of our European journey,” parliament speaker Ion Grosu of the PAS told reporters after polls closed.

Two days before the election, the government announced a ban on candidates from the pro-Russia Chance party for allegedly using illegal money from Russia in the campaign.

The party is linked to fugitive businessman Ilan Shor, who has been convicted in absentia for fraud.

The government is seeking to have him extradited from Israel, where Shor fled after his legal problems started.

Wedged between Ukraine and Romania — a member of the EU and NATO, Moldova is one of Europe’s poorest countries.