Pro-EU parties win most votes in Moldova

Pro-EU parties win most votes in Moldova

Three main pro-European Moldovan parties are likely to form a new ruling coalition since together they won the most votes in Sunday's election.

Despite the fact that the pro-Russian Socialist Party is the election winner with the highest number of votes, the pro-European parties are likely to be in power.

According to 87 percent of the votes counted, they have 44 percent - enough for a majority in parliament with 101 seats, AFP reported.

The Socialists won with 21.5 percent of the votes, while the Communists revceived 17.8 percent.

"The three (coalition parties), whose strategic goal is European integration, will have no difficulty in forming a ruling majority, even without the help of the parties from the left," said the director of the Institute for Public Policy Research, Oazu Nantoi.

He predicted that these parties will be able to secure 54 seats in parliament, "a comfortable majority."

The French agency said in its report, quoting analysts, that the three parties' "narrow victory" means they will face "tough negotiations to form a government in the impoverished country that has a breakaway pro-Kremlin region where Russia has stationed troops."