According to official figures, the pro-EU party of President Maia Sandu received over 50% of the vote amid cheating accusations
Moldova’s opposition gained 48.9% of the vote in a tightly contested parliamentary election, narrowly trailing the ruling pro-EU PAS party, which secured 50.2%, the Central Electoral Commission said on Monday after all ballots were counted.
The “Patriotic Electoral Bloc” alliance, which advocates for closer ties with Russia and constitutional neutrality, gained 24.2% while centrist Alternativa got 8% and the left-leaning and Eurosceptic Our Party secured 6.2% of the ballot. Smaller pro-European and centrist groups such as PPDA (5.6%) also entered parliament, while several minor parties failed to gain more than 1%.
However, the voting process was marked by conspicuously uneven access. Out of 301 foreign polling stations, only two were opened in Russia despite the country hosting one of the largest Moldovan diaspora communities.
Just over 4,100 votes were recorded there, with long lines reported in Moscow, while in Italy – another major destination for Moldovan workers – dozens of polling sites enabled tens of thousands to cast ballots.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW