Moldova's pro-EU ruling party wins pivotal vote

Moldova's pro-European Union ruling party won a resounding victory over its Russian-leaning rival in a key parliamentary election, results showed on Sept 29, in an endorsement of Moldova’s bid to join the bloc and break free from Moscow’s orbit.

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The surprisingly strong performance on Sept 28 by Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) against the Patriotic Bloc was a relief for the government and its European partners, who had accused Moscow of seeking to influence the outcome.

“Tm glad that our path to the EU is guaranteed... I want Moldova to be a free and democratic country,”

Ms Sandu told a press conference. With all votes counted, PAS won 50.2 per cent versus 24.2 per cent for the Patriotic Bloc, which had sought to steer Moldova - a small former Soviet republic wedged between Ukraine and EU member Romania ~ closer to Moscow.

“The people of Moldova... chose democracy, reform, and a European future, in the face of pressure and interference from Russia,” Mr Antonio Costa, president of the European Council which represents the EU’s 27 member states, said on XXX.

The leaders of France, Germany and Poland, ina joint statement, also congratulated Moldova for the “peaceful conduct of the election,

despite unprecedented _ interference by Russia, including with vote-buying schemes and disinformation”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the election result showed that Moscow had failed to “destabilise” Moldova.