Prounijna partia w Mołdawii cieszy się ze zwycięstwa w sondażach pomimo "brudnych" rosyjskich taktyk
Rządząca prounijna partia w Mołdawii w poniedziałek okrzyknęła zwycięstwo w sondażach przyćmionych oskarżeniami o rosyjską ingerencję, przywołując "niezwykle trudną walkę" o zdobycie niewielkiej większości parlamentarnej
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The small country, a candidate to join the European Union and which borders Ukraine, has long been divided over whether to move closer with Brussels or maintain Soviet-era relations with Moscow.
Sunday's parliamentary elections -- won by the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) -- were seen as crucial for the ex-Soviet republic to maintain its push towards EU integration, launched after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"Yesterday's vote is a strong mandate for the process of Moldova's accession to the EU," President Maia Sandu of PAS told reporters on Monday.
But the elections were marred by widespread allegations of Russian interference -- vote-buying, attempts to stir unrest and disinformation on what the EU called an unprecedented scale.
"Russia threw everything dirty it had into the fight.... It's not only PAS that won the elections, the people won," PAS leader Igor Grosu told a press conference.
Moscow denies the allegations of meddling.
"Right path"
Moldovans themselves were divided on the results, with some hailing another step towards the European Union while others were sceptical of the allegations against Russia.
"It's very nice to wake up in a Moldova which chose the right path: peace, development and stability," Nadir Grinco, 25, who works in organisational communication, told AFP in Chisinau.
She said she had been considering moving from the country but now was "feeling more confident."
However Liuba Peribicovski, a 75-year-old pensioner, said the result was "negative" for her, and called on the EU to "prove this meddling" that it accuses Russia of.
About 200 people gathered briefly outside parliament on Monday, chanting "freedom" and "Moldova", following a call to protest by one of the leaders of the pro-Russian opposition Patriotic Bloc, Igor Dodon.
Dodon, a former president, has accused PAS of stealing the vote and said complaints have been filed to the election commission.
Support slipping
With over 99.96 percent of ballots counted, PAS had garnered 50.17 percent of the vote to elect members of the 101-seat parliament.
That compared to 24.18 percent for the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, according to results published on the election commission's website.
But the support for PAS was slightly lower than the 52.8 percent that it won in 2021. With the current score, PAS is likely to hold 55 seats, down from 63 seats.
Turnout stood at around 52 percent, similar to that of the last parliamentary elections.
Voters in the country of 2.4 million -- one of Europe's poorest -- have expressed frustration over economic hardship, as well as scepticism over the drive to join the EU.
The country also has a pro-Russia breakaway region, Transnistria, whose local authorities claimed there were attempts to limit voting.
European leaders -- including neighbouring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky -- hailed the election result as a victory for the continent.
"Russia failed to destabilise Moldova even after spending huge, huge resources to undermine it and to corrupt whoever they could," Zelensky said.
France, Germany and Poland in a joint statement said: "Moldovan voters have shown once again that they will not allow their future in peace and freedom to be taken away from them... despite unprecedented interference by Russia."
Moldova's government has accused the Kremlin of spending hundreds of millions to interfere in the campaign.
In the lead-up to the vote, prosecutors carried out hundreds of searches related to what the government said was "electoral corruption" and "destabilisation attempts", with dozens arrested.
By Ani Sandu