Moldova's pro-European ruling party has won a landslide victory over its pro-Russian rival in key parliamentary elections, results showed, confirming Moldova's efforts to join the European Union and break away from Moscow's orbit.
The strong result achieved on Sunday by President Maja Sandu's Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) against the Patriotic Bloc is a relief for the government and its European partners, who had accused Moscow of trying to influence the outcome of the vote, Reuters reports.
Polls ahead of the election showed PAS and the Patriotic Bloc almost tied, with neither party close to a majority. The election commission's nearly final results allow the government to continue with its goal of EU membership by 2030.
Accusations of Russian election interference
The outcome also spared Moldova the political calculations and trade-offs that could have caused further instability, following what officials described as a Russian campaign to interfere in the election and an attempt to derail Chisinau's course toward Europe.
Moscow has denied involvement in Moldova.
With almost all votes counted, PAS won 50,1 percent compared to 24,2 percent for the Patriotic Bloc, which sought to bring Moldova closer to Moscow.
The election campaign, which PAS leaders have called the most significant since Moldova gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, was marked by allegations of irregularities – right up until voting day itself.
The Sandu government warned Moldovans that Russia had attempted to influence the elections by spreading disinformation and buying votes.
Stanislav Sekrijeru, Sandu's national security adviser, said that electoral infrastructure and state websites had been targeted by cyberattacks, and that false bomb threats had been sent to polling stations in Moldova and abroad.
On Sunday, Patriotic Bloc co-chair Igor Dodon, a former president of Moldova, called for protests the next day outside parliament, claiming that Sandu was planning to annul the election. He did not provide evidence for that claim.
Authorities, who have also warned of attempts to stir up unrest after the Russian-backed vote, are closely monitoring whether Dodon will follow through on the threat and how many people he can muster.
Between East and West
Authorities warned late Sunday of attempts to cause unrest after the election, which they attributed to Russian-backed networks, if the results do not go in favor of the pro-Russian bloc.
Moldova - a former Soviet republic of 2,4 million people, affected by the war in neighboring Ukraine, alleged Russian interference and energy shortages - has long oscillated between Russia and Europe.
Opposition groups like the Patriotic Bloc have tried to capitalize on citizens' dissatisfaction with economic hardship and the slow pace of reforms - dissatisfaction that, according to officials, has been further fueled by disinformation.
Inflation remains high, around 7 percent, while Moldovans face increasing costs for imported energy.
However, PAS's stronger-than-expected election result shows that its platform of European integration and distancing itself from Russia continues to resonate among broad swaths of voters.
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