CHISINAU MAYOR TO BE ELECTED IN SECOND ROUND

Mayor of Chisinau will be elected in the second round of the local election to be held on November 3, it became clear last night upon the completion of the drawing up of the preliminary results of the October 20 local elections.

Upon the processing of 99.7% data (306 out of 307 voting protocols), Socialist candidate Ion Ceban has polled 40.16% ballots, whereas ACUM candidate Andrei Nastase – 31.09%. Following next are: Dorin Chirtoaca of the Liberal Party – 10.17%, Octavian Ticu of the National Unity Party (PUN) – 4.76%, Ilan Shor Party’s candidate Valery Klimenko – 3.04%, Victor Chironda of the Forta Noua party – 2.73%, Democrat Vladimir Cebotari – 2.44%, Our Party’s candidate Ion Diacov – 1%.

All the rest candidates have polled less than 1 percent. The Chisinau Mayor’s post was sought by 18 candidates. Independent Boris Volosatii, who stated the withdrawing of his candidacy shortly before the election, was nevertheless left in the ballot-papers because he had applied for the withdrawal already after the deadline assigned for that.

At the election of the Chisinau Municipal Council, the Party of Socialists has polled 37.62% ballots and will thus have 22 mandates in the 51-member city legislature; the ACUM bloc – 33.27% (19 mandates); Liberal Party – 6.36% (3); Democratic Party – 4% (2); Ilan Shor Party – 3.85% (2).

Following next are the National Unity Party (PUN) – 2.78%, Forta Noua – 2.13%, the Communist Party – 1.7%. All of them will receive one mandate each in the City Council. Independent candidate Mihai Bagas polled 1.41%, but will not become a Municipal Council member.

The second round of the mayoral election will be held in two weeks’ time – on November 3. Analysts are offering an opinion that Andrei Nastase’s victory in it is causing almost no doubt. The thing is, in the first round there were many candidates from the Right-wing political segment. So now Nastase may count on their electorates in the second round, whereas Ion Ceban seems to have won yesterday the maximum number of ballots he is able to. Analogous situations occurred at the snap local election in June 2018 as well as at the ordinary elections in 2015 and 2011. Each time then, Socialist candidates were polling more of all ballots in first rounds, but lost elections to Right-wing candidates in second rounds.

This year, the third-best candidate Dorin Chirtoaca of the Liberal Party has already stated that he will call his electorate to vote in the second round “not so much for Andrei Nastase but, rather, against Ion Ceban”.