Vote recount leaves Moldova still mired in political impasse

Dec 20, 2010, 12:48 GMT

Chisinau/Kiev - Results made public Monday of a recount of Moldova's parliamentary vote won't resolve the impasse in forming a new government and electing a new head of state, the Infotag news agency reported.

Moldova's Central Election Commission, after a two-week review of ballots cast in the November 28 vote, declared that no changes of the election results are required.

The ruling leaves the legislature badly split and unlikely to form a functional ruling coalition.

The recount showed minor errors in initial counts of some 100-200 votes per party out of some 1.7 million ballots cast.

None of the corrected election numbers were sufficient to change the relative party positions in legislature, said Eugeniu Stirbu, chairman of the Central Election Commission.

Moldova's Communist party will receive 42 seats, the Liberal Democratic Party 32 seats, the Democratic Party 15 seats and the Liberal Party 12 seats, Stirbu said.

A 61-seat supermajority is required to elect a president. Such a supermajority can be put together only with the participation of the Communists, the other parties' bitter rivals.

Legislation in Moldova may not become law without a duly elected president's signature. Three parliamentary elections over the last 18 months have failed to break the deadlock.

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