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A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 25 February 2019

UK leader delays Brexit vote, risks further Cabinet discord

By LORNE COOK the EU in just over a month
Associated Press on March 29. The U.K. would
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt be the first country to leave
(AP) — British Prime Minister the bloc and the move is
Theresa May announced full of deep economic and
Sunday that she is delaying political consequences.
a vote on her Brexit deal in But May has been unable
Parliament, saying it should to convince the U.K. Parlia-
now take place by March ment to endorse the draft
12, a little more than two Brexit deal she agreed with
weeks before the U.K. is the Europeans in Novem-
due to leave the European ber. Any deal must also
Union. be endorsed by the Euro-
The move has the potential pean Parliament before
to further sow discord with- the deadline. "It is still within
in her Cabinet. Three senior our grasp to leave the Euro-
Cabinet members already pean Union with a deal on
had suggested Saturday March 29," May said.
that they may break ranks An EU official said there
with her and back amend- had been "no tensions" be-
ments to delay Britain's tween May and Tusk during
departure unless a deal British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks with the media as she arrives for an EU-Arab summit at their half-hour meeting.
is agreed upon by Parlia- the Sharm El Sheikh convention center in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019. The official, who isn't per-
ment over the next week. Associated Press mitted to speak publicly
But May told reporters as while the negotiations are
she traveled to Egypt for Tusk that her negotiating concessions out of her re- Parliament this week. But ongoing, said that May
an EU-Arab League summit team would return to Brus- luctant EU partners. we will ensure that that informed Tusk about the
and talks with European sels on Tuesday for nego- "As a result of that we won't happens by March 12," she "work and timeline to find a
Council President Donald tiations aimed at wringing bring a meaningful vote to said. Britain is due to leave way forward on Brexit. q

Early results: no party secures majority in Moldova ballot

By VADIM GHIRDA CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova showed no party a major risk of early elec- captured the state institu-
NICOLAE DUMITRACHE Early results from Sunday's secured a majority, a result tions," he said after casting tions" and are "scaring ...
Associated Press parliamentary elections in that could leave the for- his ballot. threatening and impover-
mer Soviet republic in limbo If lawmakers fail to form a ishing us," Sandu said Sun-
between pro-Western and governing coalition within day as she urged Moldo-
pro-Russia forces. 45 days of the election re- vans to vote.
With one-fourth of the votes sult, the president will dis- One voter, Svetlana Dru-
counted, the broadly pro- solve the legislature and ta, said she had voted to
Russia opposition Socialists call a new vote. change the judicial system.
had 30.1 percent, while More than 3 million voters "We need to start from the
the incumbent Democratic were eligible to choose top and then (change) el-
Party had 29.2 percent. The representatives for the next ementary schools and kin-
pro-European group ACUM four years to the 101-seat dergartens, and then we
was in third with about 20.9 legislature. Parties needed need a good health" sys-
percent. to win a minimum of 6 per- tem, she said.
The election comes as the cent of the ballots to enter Last year, the European
Democratic Party's govern- Parliament. Parliament called Moldova
ing alliance has lost support Election authorities said "a state captured by oli-
over rampant corruption, voter turnout was just over garchic interests." The Eu-
falling living standards and 49 percent when polls ropean Union also froze aid
the erosion of democracy closed. to Moldova after a local
in Moldova, a small land- ACUM party leader Maia court invalidated the 2018
locked nation between Ro- Sandu told The Associated Chisinau mayoral election
mania and Ukraine,. Press that the election was on a technicality, a move
President Igor Dodon fore- "the most undemocratic in to thwart the apparent
cast another election in the the history of Moldova." victory of a pro-European
coming months. "We have "A gang of thieves ... has candidate.q