Moldovan parliamentary election

Former Moldovan president Igor Dodon on Wednesday said his detention on Tuesday on treason charges was "a political case", claiming that the governing pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, PAS, was pusuing a vendetta.

Pro-Russian former Moldovan President Igor Dodon was detained by prosecutors on Tuesday on four charges including corruption and treason.

Investigators searched Dodon's Chisinau home, his mother's house and a villa being built by the Dodon family by the Dniester River, seizing tens of thousands of euros in cash and half a million lei [25,000 euros], anti-graft prosecutors said.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Thursday said parliament will be asked to declare a state of emergency over the gathering war in Ukraine, adding that the country was "on alert" and ready to receive refugees from Ukraine.

Russian forces conducted multiple strikes on Ukraine on Thursday in what the US described as a full-scale invasion.

Moldovan anti-corruption prosecutors and officers from the Intelligence and Security Service SIS on Wednesday searched the homes of 13 former Communist Party, PCRM, deputies, and detained four of them on suspicion of corruption and illicit enrichment.

Romania is reaffirming its strong and broad commitment to supporting the reform and European integration undertaken by Moldova, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday. "I am especially happy to return to Chisinau at this time of celebration, on the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova.

After consultations with all the parliamentary parties, President Maia Sandu on Friday appointed her close ally Natalia Gavrilita as Prime Minister-designate of Moldova.

Sandu said she had every confidence that the newly appointed PM will bring a team that has integrity and professionalism, and puts citizens first.

Pro-European parties gained a convincing victory in the elections in Moldova on Sunday after 99.60 per cent of the ballots cast were counted.

According to these results, the pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, PAS, led until recently by President Maia Sandu, came first by a landslide, taking 52.60 per cent of the votes and 63 seats of the 101 seats, a comfortable majority.

Moldova faces a fresh political crisis after the Constitutional Court declared the new government, led by the pro-European leader Maia Sandu and sworn in on Saturday, illegal.

The Court, which is widely seen as heavily influenced by the Democratic Party, also ordered the dissolution of parliament, which means new legislative elections must be held.

The pro-European political bloc ACUM and the pro-Russian Socialist Party, PSRM, held talks on Tuesday about the possibility of establishing a new parliamentary majority in Moldova after almost three months of political deadlock.

The negotiations started after US, EU and Russian officials visited Moldova on Monday.

Moldova's government appointed a new defence minister on Tuesday after a lengthy row over the post between the pro-European, Democratic Party-led cabinet and pro-Russian President Igor Dodon.

Eugen Sturza, 32, was sworn in at a ceremony at the presidential palace led by parliament speaker Andrian Candu, acting as interim president while Dodon was briefly suspended.