Poll shows pro-EU Communists leading Moldova vote
CHISINAU, Moldova -- An exit poll indicated that the ruling Communist Party in the former Soviet republic of Moldova held an 11-point lead in parliamentary elections yesterday in a vote shaping up as another blow to Russia's waning influence in its former empire.
Moldova's Communists, once allied with Russia, have switched loyalties in recent years and favor closer ties to the European Union.
In the exit poll based on 90 percent of voters, the Communists won 40 percent of the vote, the centrist Democratic Moldova Bloc 29 percent, and the center-right Popular Christian Democratic Party 14 percent. The poll, which had a margin of error of 2 percentage points, was conducted jointly by the Institute for Marketing and Polls and two other groups, Opinia and Civis.
Of 15 parties, the Communists and the two centrist parties were the only ones to win enough votes to gain seats in the 101-member Parliament, according to the poll. No breakdown was given on seats won.
President Vladimir Voronin's Communists would be able to form a government if final results confirm the party's lead, although they may not have enough seats for a clear majority to keep the presidency. Parliament chooses the president and 61 votes are needed; the choice must be made within 45 days or new elections must be held.
Voronin has been criticized for being heavy-handed with the opposition and tightly controlling the state media. His Communist Party has led the country, Europe's poorest, through four years of economic growth.
The Communists' deteriorating relations with the Kremlin have bolstered the Democratic Moldova Bloc, a pro-Moscow alliance headed by Serafim Urechean, mayor of Chisinau. ''Today we are deciding the path of development that Moldova will take for the future," Urechean said.
Ties between Russia and Moldova soured over the Russian-speaking Trans-Dniester region, a sliver of land on Moldova's eastern border that effectively broke away after a 1992 war that left 1,500 people dead. Its separatist government is not recognized internationally but receives support from Russia, whose troops give Moscow a foothold in the region.
On Friday, Russian legislators urged the Cabinet to impose economic sanctions on Moldova in response to what they described as its efforts to blockade the Trans-Dniester enclave.
The balloting increased tensions between the countries, as Russia fears it is losing influence in the former Soviet Union after the election of pro-Western leaders in Georgia and Ukraine last year.
About 2.3 million Moldovans were eligible to vote, and 58.9 percent cast ballots, election officials said. About 770 foreign observers monitored the elections.
