CHISINAU -- The pro-Europe ruling party of Moldova has edged toward a major victory over the Russia-friendly opposition, indicating the small, impoverished nation will remain on a European path instead of drifting back toward the Kremlin.
With about 99 percent of ballots counted in the early hours of September 29, Moldova's ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) held a solid lead over the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc.
PAS, backed by pro-West President Maia Sandu, had just short of 50 percent of the vote to the Patriotic Bloc’s 24.6 percent, according to the country’s election commission.
More than 1.5 million Moldovans cast ballots in the election amid widespread reports of campaign meddling by the Kremlin, which denied the allegations.
Votes were still to be counted from the country’s influential diaspora abroad. Preliminary counting of those votes showed a large advantage for the PAS.
According to early calculations by RFE/RL, the PAS would receive 54 seats in the 101-member parliament, enough to give it a ruling majority. The Patriotic Bloc was estimated at 27 seats, with three smaller parties having six to nine seats each.
Until totals are confirmed, it remains uncertain whether the PAS will hold the absolute majority or require a coalition party to rule.
Sandu would be tasked with nominating a prime minister, usually from the leading party or bloc, which can then try to form a new government.
Ukraine War Has Hit Moldovan Economy
The Ukraine conflict, Europe's largest and deadliest since World War II, has hit Moldova's economy hard, disrupting trade and driving up energy prices to trigger a spike in inflation.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin's online army of disinformation bots has used fake accounts and networks, often AI-generated, to flood social media with pro-Russian narratives and unsubstantiated claims of fraud.
The local human rights watchdog Promo-LEX reported hundreds of election incidents, including group voting, electoral advertising inside polling stations, organized voter transportation, and breaches of voting secrecy.
Bomb threats at several polling stations inside and outside Moldova were reported throughout the day. The incidents occurred in Italy, Romania, Spain, and the United States.
Over 240,000 people have already been reported to have voted outside the country, which marks a record result for the Moldovan diaspora.
In her address published on social media, Sandu said Russia’s plans "can only be stopped by the honest vote of Moldovans around the world."
"Russia poses a danger to our democracies. Our democracy is young and fragile, but that does not mean that states with longer democracies are not in danger. We want to live in a democracy," Sandu said earlier, after casting her ballot.
"Today, in our country, democracy is in the hands of Moldovans. Only they can save the Republic of Moldova," she added.
The contest pits Sandu's ruling PAS against the Patriotic Bloc alliance of pro-Russian parties.
The Socialists are led by Igor Dodon, a former Moldovan president whom Sandu defeated in a 2020 presidential election and who has long maintained close ties with Moscow. He has referred to the current democratically elected government as a "criminal regime."
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Moldova of "anti-Russian hysteria" and has denied it is interfering in what Sandu has called the "most consequential election" in her country's history.
"Moldova is an important ally of Ukraine. It is an important logistics hub for Ukraine," Alexei Tulbure, former Moldovan ambassador to the United Nations and the Council of Europe, told Current Time.
"Can you imagine if a hostile state appeared on the western Ukrainian border? It would weaken Kyiv's position.... Even if there were no direct attacks on Ukraine from there, Ukraine would still increase its military presence in the west to guarantee its security."
