Moldova’s pro-European Action and Solidarity party (PAS) has retained its parliamentary majority in an election widely regarded as a test of the country’s direction between closer ties with the European Union or renewed alignment with Russia, Reuters reports.
With 99.5 percent of ballots counted, the central election commission said PAS won 50.03 percent of the vote, securing control of the 101-seat parliament. The Moscow-leaning Patriotic Bloc, led by former president Igor Dodon, took 24.2 percent. The result exceeded pre-election forecasts that suggested PAS might fall short of an outright majority.
President Maia Sandu, who founded PAS and has pledged to achieve Moldova’s EU accession by 2030, said the outcome reflected voters’ support for a European future. Casting her ballot in Chișinău on Sunday, she urged Moldovans to “save” the country’s future with their vote, notes The Guardian.
The result is expected to reassure Brussels and other European capitals concerned about potential gains for pro-Russian parties in the strategically located country of 2.4 million, which borders Ukraine and Romania.
The campaign was dominated by allegations of Russian interference. Sandu’s national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru, said government websites and election infrastructure had come under cyber-attack and that fake bomb threats were reported at polling stations.
Moscow has denied involvement, but Moldovan authorities accuse Russia of funnelling money to pro-Russian parties and spreading propaganda to influence the vote. A Reuters investigation last week reported that Moscow had recruited priests in Moldova to urge congregants to vote against PAS.
Dodon claimed electoral violations and called for protests outside parliament on 29 September but offered no evidence. Authorities said they were monitoring for any attempts to disrupt public order.
Moldova has long been divided over its geopolitical orientation. PAS draws much of its support from younger urban voters and the diaspora, while pro-Russian sentiment remains strong in rural areas, in the breakaway Transnistria region where around 1,500 Russian troops remain stationed, and in the autonomous Gagauzia region.
Sandu’s government now has the mandate to continue reforms targeting corruption and economic challenges. Inflation remains at about seven percent, energy costs are high, and emigration continues to weigh on growth.
The result strengthens PAS as it pursues its stated goal of securing EU membership within the next decade.
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