Moldovans have began voting in parliamentary elections that could determine whether the country moves away from its pro-Ukrainian stance and its plans to join the European Union, towards Russia’s orbit.
Moldova, an EU candidate country, has long been divided over closer ties with Brussels or maintaining Soviet-era relations with Moscow.
Polling booths opened at 7am (4:00 GMT) today, Sunday, September 28, 2025, and will close at 9pm (18:00 GMT), with the results expected later today.
The vote will elect 101 members, followed by the President nominating a Prime Minister, generally from the leading party or bloc, who can then try to form a new government.
Approximately 20 political parties and independent candidates are running for the 101 parliamentary seats.
Most polls show the pro-EU Action and Solidarity party (PAS), in power since 2021, in the lead in the vote. But analysts say the race is far from certain.
A loss for PAS, which gained a majority in the last parliamentary elections, could throw up hurdles in the push towards EU integration.
The pro-Russian Patriot Electoral Bloc, a group of political parties, has capitalised on voter unease over economic turmoil, the slow pace of reforms and issues worsened by what officials say has been widespread disinformation.
Among the parties in the pro-Russian bloc are the populist Our Party, which wants what it calls a “balanced foreign policy” between East and West, and the Alternativa Bloc, which has claimed to be pro-European, but critics have argued that it seeks closer ties to Moscow.
The pro-EU President, Maia Sandu called the vote Moldova’s “most consequential election” and warned against falling deeper into Moscow’s orbit.
“Its outcome will decide whether we consolidate our democracy and join the EU, or whether Russia drags us back into a grey zone, making us a regional risk.”
Maia Sandu
Moldovan Prime Minister, Dorin Recean iterated same stance at the PAS rally on Friday, saying, “These are the most important elections since the Republic of Moldova became independent.”
Recean warned of Russian interference, saying Moscow is spending “hundreds of millions” of euros as part of an alleged “hybrid war” to try to seize power, which he described as “the final battle for our country’s future.”
“I call on every Moldovan at home and across Europe: We cannot change what Russia does, but we can change what we do as a people. Turn worry into mobilisation and thoughtful action … Help stop their schemes.”
Dorin Recean
The government has accused the Kremlin of spending hundreds of millions of euros in “dirty money” to interfere in the campaign.
Russia has denied Moldova’s claims that it has been waging a disinformation campaign and looking to buy votes and stir unrest.
In the lead-up to the vote, prosecutors carried out hundreds of searches related to what the government says are “electoral corruption” and “destabilisation attempts,” and have made dozens of arrests.
On Friday, the Electoral Commission excluded two pro-Russian parties from the race over financing irregularities. The opposition has slammed the decisions.
Turnout To Be Decisive
Analysts say that turnout will be decisive – especially in the large and powerful diaspora, which tends to vote PAS, and in the breakaway region of Transnistria, which leans pro-Russian.
Igor Botan, Head of Moldovan thinktank, Adept, opined that the result is “very difficult to predict.” “Post-election negotiations to form an alliance [to govern] are highly likely, and here too, things are unclear,” he said.
According to Botan, foreign interference and threats of stirring up unrest are “the most significant risks” to the elections. “We didn’t have such phenomena before in our electoral campaigns,” he stated.
