Eurasia Foundation’s Observers Note No Abnormalities at Polling Stations Abroad

The 19 election observers abroad of Eurasia Foundation Moldova’s 37 total have reported no abnormalities at foreign polling stations and easy access to electoral information for voters while monitoring electoral procedures, including the opening of polling stations, the voting process, the closing of polling stations and the tabulation of votes.   Observers noted an increased flow of voters between 7:00 a.m.  - 9:00 a.m.  and 6:00 p.m.  - 9:00 p.m., attributing the higher trafficked periods to those voting before or after work.  Eurasia Foundation Moldova observers in Bologna, Italy noted that at 8:35 p.m.  local time, there were several hundred Moldovan nationals in the yard of the Moldovan Consulate who came after work from up to hundreds of kilometers away to vote.  Due to such a high number, the Central Elections Commission extended voting at the consulate to 10:00 p.m.  A similar situation was reported at the Moldovan Embassy in London.   According to EFM observers, the Liberal Party (PL) garnered the most votes from citizens abroad, with 45.48% of the vote, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) with 32.43%, the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) with 7.23%, the political party Alliance Moldova Noastra (AMN) with 5.62% and the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) with 5.31%.   Compared to the results from the April 5 elections, the number of votes cast for PLDM and PD went up at the monitored polling stations, the number of PL supporters remained relatively the same, turnout for PCRM was higher at the polling station in the Russian Federation, but went down at other monitored polling stations and votes for AMN dropped in most polling stations.   Overall voter turnout increased over that of the April 5 elections at most of the monitored polling stations, except for those in Romania, where the turnout rate decreased 13.31%.  Results for each of the monitored polling stations, as well as turnout details, are presented in the annex below.   Eurasia Foundation’s Moldova Representative Office accredited 37 national and seven international observers, of which 19 monitored polling stations established outside the country.  National observers were present at the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Moldova in Russia, Romania, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Greece.   For additional information, please contact Eurasia Foundation Program Manager Andrei Brighidin at (+ 373 22) 235-343 (ext.  124) or abrighidin@eurasia.md.