| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Parlament / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
5 April 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
On 2 February 2009, the parliament unanimously voted to set the date of the parliamentary elections for 5 April. They were the fifth since the country gained independence in 1991.
In the previous elections held in March 2005, the Party of Moldovan Communists (PCRM), led by President Vladimir Voronin, won 56 of the 101 seats at stake. The pro-Russian Democratic Moldova Bloc (BMD) took 34 seats, while the Christian Democratic Popular Party (PPCD, a pro-Romanian party), took 11 seats.
In April, the parliament re-elected Mr. Voronin as the country's President for his second and last term according to Moldova's Constitution. The BMD collapsed when the Our Moldova Alliance (AMN) left the bloc with its 24 members, who refused to support the re-election of Mr. Voronin as President. Several members of the PPCD also left that party after it decided to support Mr. Voronin's re-election.
In April 2008, the parliament passed a series of amendments to the Electoral Code. The threshold to win parliamentary representation was raised from 4 to 6 per cent for political parties and the participation of election blocs was banned. The threshold for independent candidates remained at 3 per cent. The PCRM and the PPCD, which supported the amendments, argued that election blocs failed to represent the will of citizens since they were often disbanded after the elections. Opposition parties (both parliamentary and non-parliamentary) argued that the amendments were meant to bar the opposition's access to parliament. Although the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recommended that the government revise the threshold requirements, they were maintained until the 2009 elections.
The number of eligible voters increased to 2,549,804 compared with 2,270,668 in 2005. They included 627,950 Moldovans abroad as well as 34,000 Moldovans in the breakaway Dniester region. Opposition parties claimed that ghost voters had been included in the voters' list, an allegation the Ministry of Information Development strongly denied. In a bid to prevent vote rigging, all ballot papers were numbered.
Twelve political parties and five independent candidates were vying for seats in 2009. Apart from the PCRM, only three other parties were expected to win parliamentary representation: the Liberal Party (PL), the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM), and the AMN. The PL did not hold any seats in the outgoing legislature, but was expected to win a significant number of seats in 2009. It was led by Mr. Mihai Ghimpu, Mayor of the capital Chisinau. The PLDM considers itself as an opposition force. It was established in 2007 by Mr. Vlad Filat, who in late 2008 faced charges relating to cigarette smuggling and the sale of aircraft and a cement plant in the 1990s. Due to an internal split, the AMN, led by Mr. Serafim Urechean, held only 14 seats at the end of the outgoing legislature.
All parties promised to create new jobs by inviting more foreign investment, increase salaries and pensions, fight corruption, modernize the countryside and deal with the consequences of the global economic crisis. Greater integration with the European Union was part of the platform of all major parties. The PL, PLDM and AMN pledged to seek membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while the PCRM argued that the country should maintain its neutrality. The PCRM and the AMN underscored the need to keep a strategic partnership with Russia.
Pre-election polls indicated that no party would win a two-thirds majority to be able to form a new government on its own.
In all, 60.17 per cent of 2.5 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
Nearly 400 international observers monitored the polls. They included representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The OSCE/ODIHR said the elections met "many international standards and commitments", but called for "further improvements" to make the electoral process "free from undue administrative interference". The CIS observers said that the elections had been "free and transparent".
PL leader Filat insisted that the elections had been rigged and demanded fresh elections.
After the announcement of the preliminary results, which gave 60 seats to the PCRM, street protests demanding fresh elections were held in the capital Chisinau; they soon turned violent. By 7 April, over 10,000 people participated in the protest, some of whom stormed the Parliament building and Office of the President.
On 13 April, the Constitutional Court ordered a recount, which took place on 15 April. The final results remained unchanged. The PL and the PLDM won 15 seats each and the ANM took 11.
The newly elected parliament held its first session on 5 May. On 12 May, it elected outgoing President, Mr. Vladimir Voronin (PCRM), as its new Speaker. He was constitutionally barred for serving another term as President. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 5 April 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
2'586'309
1'556'083 (60.17%)
18'996
1'537'087 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Party of Moldovan Communists (PCRM) |
|
760'551 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Party (PL) |
|
201'879 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) |
|
191'113 |
|
|
|
|
|
| "Our Moldova" Alliance (AMN) |
|
150'155 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Party of Moldovan Communists (PCRM) |
60
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Party (PL) |
15
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) |
15
|
|
|
|
|
| "Our Moldova" Alliance (AMN) |
11
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
77
24
23.76%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- Parliament (26.05.2009, 08.06.2009)
- http://www.cec.md/ |
|
A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page