A recount of ballots from Moldova's November 28 general election is unlikely to change the results and help the hung parliament elect a president, a senior election official said on Wednesday.
The recount was ordered this month by the Constitutional Court following a complaint by the Communists, who won 42 seats in the election while three parties from the ruling pro-Western Alliance for European Integration took a combined 59.
This outcome was inconclusive in that neither side has the necessary 61 parliamentary votes to decide on a full-time president and break a year-long stalemate.
"According to the information that the Central Election Commission received... the recount has not shown any big changes," commission head Iurie Ciocan said. "Errors are within several ballots per polling station, which will not lead to a review of the already announced election results."
Ciocan said the recount results will be officially announced on December 17.
The Communists complained of ballot fraud immediately after results were announced on November 29. A monitoring team from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, however, pronounced the election free and fair. (Reuters)
