A wave of protests began on 7 April 2009 in major cities of Moldova (including the capital Chişinău and Bălţi) after the results of the election were announced. The demonstrators claimed that the elections, in which the governing PCRM was early reported to win a majority of seats, were fraudulent, and alternatively demanded a recount, a new election, or resignation of the government. Similar demonstrations took place in other major Moldovan cities, including the country's second largest, Bălți, where over 7,000 people protested.