The Pro-European party Pas is at the forefront of the parliamentary elections in Moldova. With the results of more than 85 percent of the polling stations, the party has such 45 percent of the votes achieved. This means that President Maia Sandu’s party is a broad lead in relation to her greatest rival: the pro-Russian Bep of former President Igor Dodon is currently stuck at more than 27 percent of the votes.
Moldavians were able to choose from 22 parties or independent candidates on Sunday, but it was already clear in advance that the groups of Sandu and Dodon were the big favorites. The result of the elections would thus determine whether Moldova is turning towards the European Union, or towards Russia. President Sandu for that reason called the elections “the most important in the history of the country.”
Threatened by Russia
Under Sandu, who was re -elected last year in the (individual) presidential elections in the country, Moldova sought rapprochement with the EU. Since the invasion of Ukraine, more Moldavians feel threatened by Russia, and in 2022 the country became a candidate member of the EU. In a referendum in 2024, however, only 50.4 percent of Moldavians voted that the desire for EU TOTREDING would be included in the Constitution.
Especially in the separatist region of Transnistria, many people prefer Moldova to start ties with the Kremlin. The region is largely Russian -speaking, houses Russian soldiers and receives financial support from Russia. For example, Transnistria received free Russian gas, until Ukraine closed the pipeline at the beginning of this year. Since then, the region has been struggling with an energy crisis.
Both prior and during the elections, the government party only warned that Russia would try to influence the elections, something that also appeared from independent research. The Kremlin is said to have distributed disinformation, committed cyber attacks and bribed voters. Two pro-Russian parties were excluded from the elections because the electoral committee is suspected of bribery and opaque financing.
Bomb
Several polling stations abroad, including in Rome and at the Moldavian embassy in Brussels, were evacuated on Sunday after false bomb reports. Just like during the presidential election last year, it was also predicted during the current parliamentary elections that Moldavians would make a difference abroad. The government therefore provided numerous polling stations for Diaspora in European countries.
A Moldavian official said to be on Sunday Polrico That the bomb report in Brussels fits in with Russia’s tactics to intimidate voters abroad. The Kremlin has denied the alleged interference. Dodon, the pro-Russian party leader, said earlier that Sandu was looking for an excuse to declare the elections invalid because she was afraid of losing it.
Immediately after closing the ballot boxes-and before the provisional results became known-the pro-Russian Dodon on television said that his coalition of parties had won the elections. “The citizens have voted. Their voice must be respected, even if you don’t like it,” he said to President Sandu and her party members.
Although the PAS party is leading, it seems that it will lose its majority in parliament. A possible formation is in danger of becoming complicated: the only other block that presents itself as pro-European and with which a majority may be achieved is the coalition ‘altenative’. But according to it Institute for the Study of War have several members of that block of ties with the Kremlin and Russia may support the party with the intention of undermining the EU TOTREDING.
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