Opinion Voices from Moldovas 2025 Parliamentary Election

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Opinion Voices from Moldovas 2025 Parliamentary Election

E-International Relations
05 Oct 2025, 17:40 GMT+

Martin Duffy

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Oct 5 2025

frimufilms/Depositphotos

Moldova has become a significant political acid-test in the renewed struggle between Russian and EU influence. Its elections in the past decade have been conducted against an ominous power-struggle. The apparently intractable war in Ukraine has made the outcomes of Moldovas elections, symbolically and tangibly, crucial.Transnistria and Gagauziaare ever-present reminders that genuine political control in Moldova is an abstract concept. Any Moldovan President, or minister-of-state exercises authority with implicit knowledge of their territorial limitations. When one speaks to the Moldovan public, one observes people living under continuous threat. Entering Transnistria one encounters a state-within-state nightmare whichJohn Elledgeeloquently describes in his critique of world borders. Not even Transnistrians are satisfied with their current political lot.

It will bring relief to Moldovan PresidentMaia Sanduthat pro-EU forces have won a clear parliamentary victory, despite well-substantiated claims of Russian interference. Throughout the election, Sandus voice had been crystal clear. She stated at the outset of polling that Moldovan democracy was young and fragile and Russia endangered it.Sanduwas also justified in her appeal pointing to massive Russian interference[Moldovas] very existence, flanked by Ukraine and Romania, was at risk. Do not play with your vote or youll lose everythingthe future of democracy! International and domestic observers had compiled extensive evidence of Russian propaganda, intimidation, media-manipulation and miscellaneous dirty tricks. OSCE have covered much of this ground in their recentreportage.

The preponderance of a Europe-leaning vote in Moldova is significant. Thus, Sandu decisively claimed victory and a new majority in parliament in elections that are seen as critical for her countrys future path to the EU. To quote Igor Grosu, leader of SandusParty of Action and Solidarity(PAS): This election has been an extraordinarily difficult battleRussia had thrown everything it had at the electionMoldovans defiantly showed their European loyalty despite formidable opposition.

In fact, Russian influences were as subtle as brick-bats, and Sandus opponents sought to exploit every single chink in PASs armour. Opposition leader and Socialist Party chiefIgor Dodon, even claimed victory before results appeared. He called for protests outside parliament, stirring up unrest and potentially disrupting Transnistria. Dodon alleged there had been all sorts of harassment, stopping (Transnistrians) from voting. He exploited Russian TV to claim his pro-Russian allies in the Patriotic Electoral Bloc (PEB) had won the election, without even exit polls. No evidence of PAS interference in Transnistrian polling was found by international observers. The same could not be said of PEB.

Statistically, PAS has secured approximately 50% of the vote with virtually all 1.6m votes counted, far ahead of PEB(under 25%.) Turnout was 52%, higher than in recent years. Those are comfortable numbers for psephologists to work with. EC PresidentUrsula von der Leyenwelcomed the result. You made your choice clear: Europe. Democracy. Freedom,Polish PMDonald Tuskstated: Sandu has saved democracy and stopped Russia in its attempts to take control over the whole region. A good lesson for us all.

It was obvious from the start of counting that Sandus party was on course for another majority in the 101-seat parliament. Four years ago, PAS won 52.8% of the vote, and PAS will most likely secure 55 or even 56 seats. To form government, it will not require support from other parties, such as the Alternativa bloc or the populist Our Party.

The election was marked by alleged voter intimidation from all sides. Problems even spilled over into voting abroad withbomb scaresreported at polling stations not only in Moldova but in Italy, Romania, Spain and the US.Igor Grosublamed Russian criminal groups for Sundays incidents, and appealed for patience and calm to let voting continue. Before the vote, police reported evidence of an unprecedented effort by Russia to spreaddisinformationand systematic vote-buying in virtually every town across the country.There were almost a hundred arrests on charges ofundermining the election. Examples of offences included Moldovans present in Serbia for firearms training and co-ordinating unrest. A comprehensiveBBC investigationhad previously exposed a clandestine Russian network funding pro-Russian propaganda and fake news.

Naturally, parties sympathetic to Moscow rejected police claims as fabrications, but international observers found similar evidence across almost every polling district of the country.It was felt that the presence oftripod CCTVoverlooking ballot boxes had added to voter confidence.Domestic election observers reassured people they were recording everything, to be checked if there were any reports of violations. However, the big emphasis on CCTV also sustainedconspiracy-theory. It is interesting to contrast pro-EU and pro-Moscow camps. These are ultimately the real voices which matter in any election.

Daria from a satellite town to Chisinau told me:

Moldova was awarded EU candidate status in 2022 along with Ukraine, four months after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. International observers noted the number of voters from Transnistria atabout 12,000, significantly down on previous years. Close to the separatist enclave of Transnistria, cars waited to drive to the 12 polling stations which had been opened beyond the administrative border to ensure fair access to the vote. There was bussing but, in the circumstances, this was to be expected with the polling stations being some distance from Transnistria itself. Moldovan police meticulously checked documents and car boots. There were few reports of police misconduct or that the checks were anything but courteous and friendly. Evenpro-Russian politiciansavoided comment on the conduct of the state security operation. It was interesting to see the cars driving in convoy from the Soviet-style hammer-and-sickle emblem festooned across Transnistria and into the terrain of Moldovan flags.There was a juxtaposition of the green-and-red striped flag of Transnistria and the Moldovan flag on the other side and round the polling stations.

A Transnistrian voter told me:

There was relatively little pro-Moscow campaigning among the people arriving to vote, almost as if they had been schooled to tone down their Putinesque rhetoric. Another voter in an expensive saloon-car, a Transnistrian businessman stated:

It was interesting to linger on the perimeter with Transnistria and to be able to see in the distance a colossal statue of Lenin, while just across the limits of Transnistria the electoral authorities had signposted the way to polling stations and bedecked them with Moldovan flags. In the 21st century world it is apparent that in politically divided societies, flags remain idiomatic.