By Dan Peleschuk
CHISINAU, Moldova (Reuters) -Moldova’s ruling party pulled ahead of the pro-Russian opposition as votes cast in a key parliamentary election were counted on Sunday, but it looked set to fall short of the majority it wants in order to push for membership of the European Union.
With nearly 60% of votes cast, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) had 43% versus 29% for the Patriotic Bloc, which wants to steer the nation away from closer ties with Brussels and back into Moscow’s orbit.
Mutual recriminations have plagued the buildup to what President Maia Sandu has described as an existential moment for the small eastern-European nation that has oscillated between European and Russian influence.
Government officials have warned of attempts to disrupt the vote, including cyber attacks on election infrastructure and fake bomb threats throughout the day at polling stations in Moldova and abroad.
Moldova’s large diaspora, which tends to favour European integration, could have a say in the outcome of the vote. Authorities began counting after polling stations closed at 9 p.m. local time (1800 GMT).
Holding its majority in the 101-seat chamber would allow PAS to continue pushing for its goal of joining the EU by 2030 and breaking Moldova out of Russia’s orbit. If PAS falls short, it would have to try to form a coalition with smaller parties.
CLAIMS AND COUNTER-CLAIMS
Stanislav Secrieru, national security adviser to Sandu, said officials were expecting “further escalation” of cyber attacks on the Central Electoral Commission and other government sites which had been launched from multiple countries.
Fake bomb threats had been called into voting stations in Rome, Brussels and the United States, he wrote on X, a sign of “massive pressure from Russia and its proxies” to disrupt the vote.
Moscow has denied meddling and says the government is spreading anti-Russian hysteria to win votes.
On Sunday, Patriotic Bloc co-leader Igor Dodon, a former president, called for protests in front of parliament on Monday, claiming that Sandu was planning to annul the vote. He did not provide evidence.
Sandu and other senior officials have long warned of an extensive Russian campaign to sway the vote.
Earlier this week, election officials barred two pro-Russian parties from the ballot amid allegations of illegal financing.
Authorities launched hundreds of raids in recent weeks targeting illicit party funding and alleged Russian-backed networks aimed at stirring unrest over the vote.
ECONOMIC PAIN AND PINING FOR THE PAST
Opposition groups like the Patriotic Bloc have tapped into voter unease over economic pain and the slow pace of reforms, grievances worsened by what officials say has been widespread disinformation.
Inflation remains stubbornly high at around 7%, while Moldovans are also shouldering higher costs for imported energy.
Viorica Burlacu, a fruit seller in the capital Chisinau, said the war in Ukraine showed that Moldova needed Europe’s protection.
“We’re afraid of war; no one wants that,” said the 46-year-old. “So we’re reaching out to Europe for at least some protection.”
In Balti, a northern Moldovan city, 82-year-old Maria Scotari offered a different perspective. She recalled being happy as a young student living in the Soviet Union.
“What was so bad about it? That’s how life was. I was a student, everything was fine, everything was great.”
(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk in Chisnau; Additional reporting by Alexander Tanas and Andriy Pryimachenko in Chisnau and Alexandru Fedas in Balti; Editing by Mike Collett-White, Kevin Liffey, Bernadette Baum, Peter Graff, Nia Williams and Leslie Adler)
