Vitalie Vrabie was elected mayor of the municipality of Ungheni in the November 19 runoff vote. Running as an independent, he gained 57.58% of the vote, IPN reports, quoting preliminary data provided by the Central Election Commission.

The same data show that Vitalie Vrabie’s challenger Dionisie Ternovschi, of the Party of Action and Solidarity, polled 42.42% of the ballot.

Vitalie Vrabie served as mayor of Ungheni in 1999-2006 too. He also held public posts in the central administration, including of minister of defense, minister of public administration and chief of the Customs Service.