Moldova backs EU in elections marred by Russian interference

Moldova backs EU in elections marred by Russian interference
by Darryl Coote
Washington DC (UPI) Sep 29, 2025

Moldova's pro-Europe party of President Maia Sandu has claimed victory in Parliamentary elections that are being framed as a repudiation of Russia and its alleged actions to undermine the small nation's democracy.

The Sunday contest is also being seen as a win for Moldova's bid to join the European Union, which it has sought since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fearing it could be the Kremlin's next target.

"A landslide victory for #Moldova's European path," Moldova's Minister of Foreign Affairs said in an English-language statement on X. "The ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) retains the absolute majority in Parliament. This is the merit of Moldovans at home & abroad who defied expectations.

"Kremlin lost. Democracy won," he added.

According to unofficial results from Moldova's Central Electoral Commission, PAS secured 50.16% of the vote share, with 99.9% of the 1.6 million votes counted.

The pro-Russia Patriotic Electoral Bloc of Igor Dodon finished a distant second with a little more than 24% of the vote.

Dodon has called for protests on Monday outside of Parliament, stating it was in defense against the "threat to democracy" and "the dictatorship of PAS."

"We will come out without party symbols, carrying only the national flag, to defend democracy and the voice of the people," he said.

Moldova police issued a statement early Monday saying it is aware that people have been promised money to attend the protest. It had earlier said it was also aware of voters being illegally transported from Russia

Ahead of voting, Sandu took to X to describe the election as the nation's "most consequential."

"Its outcome will decide whether we consolidate our democracy and join the EU, or whether Russia drags us back into a grey zone, making us a regional risk," she said.

"Moldova's future must be decided by Moldovans, not Moscow."

Igor Grosu, head of PAS, said efforts by Russia to interfere in the election included illegal transportation of voters, vote theft and bomb threats. The foreign ministry confirmed in a statement that bomb threats were made against polling stations in Brussels, Belgium; Rome and Genoa, Italy, Bucharest, Romania, North Carolina's Asheville, United States; and Alicante, Spain.

The ministry later confirmed that all bomb threats were false.

"Russia's attempts to hijack the electoral process have been huge," Grosu said in a statement amid voting, stating it was unclear what effect it would have.

"We pray for patience and calm."

Moldova applied for EU membership a week after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February of 2022. The former Soviet Union nation has been fighting Russian interference for years and is home to the pro-Kremlin breakaway Transnistria region that borders Ukraine.