Moldovans voted in parliamentary poll

Moldovans were on track to elect a new parliament Sunday afternoon, as voter turnout already exceeded the two-thirds required for a valid vote, dpa reported.

The poll is the third parliamentary election in less than two years. The two previous legislatures were unable to muster the supermajority necessary to elect a president.

Turnout for all of Moldova was 50 per cent, the Central Election Commission said. In the capital Chisinau, 34 per cent of registered voters had cast ballots.

Moldova has held four nationwide elections since April 2009. The last, in September, was a referendum to change the constitution to allow for direct presidential elections.

The overwhelming majority of voters backed the change, but the turnout was too small for the referendum to be valid.

A total of 20 parties and 19 individual candidates were vying Sunday for the 101-seat legislature. Polls suggested that only four parties were likely to enter parliament: the Communist Party, the Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Party.