Moldovans vote in parliamentary elections

Moldova is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday, with about 3.3 million registered voters set to elect 101 lawmakers for a new four-year term.
According to the Moldovan Central Election Commission, polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time and will close at 9 p.m. A total of 2,274 polling stations have been established, including 301 abroad, with 3,423 observers monitoring the vote, including 912 international observers.
In the election, 14 political parties, four electoral blocs and four independent candidates are contesting for seats. The threshold for entry into parliament is 5 percent for political parties, 7 percent for electoral blocs and 2 percent for independents, respectively.
The ruling Party of Action and Solidarity is widely regarded as the main contender, while its major rival is the Patriotic Electoral Bloc, led in part by former president Igor Dodon. Other notable participants include the Alternative Bloc and the Our Party.