Chisinau  - Moldova's ruling Communist Party was firmly on track Monday to maintain control of Parliament as officials counted ballots from a weekend national election.

The centre-left party headed by President Vladimir Voronin had captured 54.2 per cent of the popular vote with one-quarter of all ballots counted, according to data made public by Moldova's Central Election Commission.

The preliminary official numbers were stronger than exit polls, which had predicted the Communists would receive 45-per-cent nationwide support.

Chisinau - Moldova's best tipples are good enough for Queen Elizabeth, but the former Soviet republic's wine industry needs more than royal favour to keep the vintages coming.

The Negru de Pucari 1990 is the top end of Moldova's wine industry. The ruby dark dry red is a mix of Cabernet Souvingon, Saperavi, and Moldova's own Rara Neagra grapes.

Chisinau - Exit polls showed Moldova's ruling Communist party was well ahead after voting stations closed in elections for a national parliament held Sunday.

The party was on track to capture 45.5 per cent of the popular vote, some 3 - 5 per cent more than pre-election polls had predicted, according to a poll conducted by the IMAS survey company with European Union and US support.

Chisinau  - Polling sites across Moldova were operating normally on Sunday, as a vote to select a new parliament went ahead.

"Practically all" voting locations opened as scheduled at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), officials from Moldova's Central Election Committee said.

The election also will determine Moldova's next President, as the new parliament per constitutional statute will select a replacement for Moldova's current leader Vladimir Voronin.

Voting was proceeding normally with early turnout high in villages and rural areas, eyewitnesses said.

Chisinau  - Active campaigning came to a halt in Moldova on Saturday, as the former Soviet republic prepared to elect a new parliament.

The streets of the capital Chisinau were free of electioneering Saturday morning, as a nationwide last-day ban on election advertising went into effect.

The poll-leading Communists ended their efforts to attract support on Friday evening with an outdoor concert in a Chisinau park.

Chisinau  - Moldovan election monitors on Thursday warned of violence and possible fraud in the former Soviet republic's upcoming parliamentary vote, Moldova-1 television reported.

Observers working for the NGO Citizens Control Elections 2009 (CCE) said violence thus far had been on a low level but could intensify.

On Thursday, occupants of an automobile driving past the Chisinau headquarters of the currently third-place Liberal Democratic party hurled bags of yellow paint at the building, said Aleksander Babrov, a CCE spokesman.