Major EU relief as Russia rejected by key country on election knife-edge

Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned voters Russia endangered their fragile democracy (Image: Getty)

In a ballot feared to be influenced by Russian interference, Moldovans elected a pro-European party of the country's president Maia Sandu in Sunday's parliamentary elelections. With nearly all polling stations counted, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) claimed a clear lead and a new majority. PAS won 50.1% of the vote, while the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc had 24.2%. The Russia-friendly Alternativa Bloc came third, followed by the populist Our Party. The right-wing Democracy at Home party also won enough votes to enter parliament. The votes of Moldova's large diaspora were the last to be counted and likely played a decisive role in the final outcome.

According to electoral data, PAS will hold a majority of seats in parliament - around 55 of 101. To form a government it will not need to rely on support from other parties. Sandu had warned of "massive Russian interference", and Igor Grosu, the leader of PAS, said Russia threw "everything it had" at the election. Igor Dodan, leader of the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc and Sandu's predecessor as president, has already called for protests outside the parliament in the capital Chisinau.

Grosu blamed criminal groups backed by Moscow to be behind bomb scares as three people were arrested in plotting an attack the day after the vote.

"State institutions were prepared for this scenario, we have established clear procedures, and we are cooperating with our partners in other countries to ensure the electoral process is not affected. We urge all citizens (in the diaspora) to follow the recommendations of the authorities, rely on official information, and continue honest voting," Moldova's Foreign Ministry said. Moldova had also blocked a series of cyberattacks targeting the country's election infrastructure.

Russia reportedly poured hundreds of millions of dollars into buying off voters, Sandu's party said. YouTube videos falsely suggested the president was involved in made-up scandals, including an illegal celebrity sperm purchase. There were also false reports of vote-rigging.

There is a Russian-speaking minority in Moldova, primarily in the breakaway region of Transnistria. Although recognised internationally as part of Moldova, Transnistria is controlled by pro-Russian forces and has a significant Russian-speaking population. As The New York Times wrote, the vote had therefore become a "referendum on Europe versus Russia, with Moldovans choosing which vision of their future to embrace."

The former Soviet socialist republic was also part of the Russian empire in the 19th century (Image: Getty)

Pro-Russian political groups campaigned heavily on themes of national security and sovereignty, warning that Sandu's party could drag Moldova into tensions with Russia and that closer ties with the European Union might erode the country's identity. Economic concerns were another pressing point resonating with a portion of the electorate, with parties highlighting rising costs for gas.

Sandu, a Harvard-educated former World Bank official, is targeting EU membership for Moldova. But while Sandu received broad acclaim for guiding Moldova to EU candidate status in 2023, some voters expressed frustration over the slow pace of reforms and rising gas prices, following Russia's supply cuts and Moldova's efforts to secure alternative sources from Romania.