Moldova’s pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) received 49.8% of the votes in the September 28 general election, more than double its main rival, the moderate pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc (24.4%), according to preliminary data published by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

The PAS is expected to secure the majority of seats in parliament, which will allow it to continue the country's European Union accession preparations. The pro-EU authorities in Chisinau have campaigned on an optimistic promise to secure accession by 2028 — ahead of the next parliamentary election. 

The election took place under tense conditions, with bomb warnings targeting polling stations abroad – a key source of votes for the PAS – and bridges over the Dniester crowded by pro-Russian voters from the separatist Transnistria region attempting to reach polling stations on the other side of the river.

In the weeks ahead of voting day, the authorities uncovered illegal financing schemes for pro-Russian parties and criminal organisations funnelling money into vote buying and organising anti-government protests. They also exposed sophisticated online campaigns involving bot farms and influencers linked to Russia. 

Fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor was identified as organising and financing electoral corruption networks, allegedly with Russian support. Shor has also been involved in helping Russia bypass Western sanctions through cryptocurrency operations, which were also used to send money to Moldova.

PAS leader Igor Grosu thanked everyone who came out to vote but added in a Facebook post: “Russia's attempts to hijack the electoral process have been huge — we saw illegal transportation, vote theft, destabilisation attempts, bomb alarms.” 

In response, the pro-EU authorities engaged in active strategies to counter hybrid threats.

Two opposition parties, including Inima Moldovei (Heart of Moldova) led by former governor of Gagauzia Irina Vlah, part of the main opposition coalition, were banned from running just two days before the vote. Earlier, authorities had restricted the civil rights of opposition leaders, including Vlah, primarily by freezing their bank accounts. These measures were not based on court rulings but on sanctions imposed by Western countries for “active support of Russia”.

On September 26, the CEC also relocated five voting stations originally designated for voters in Transnistria. Initially announced for locations within the separatist region, they were moved to territory controlled by constitutional authorities just two days before the ballot. Opposition parties alleged that construction works on bridges across the Dniester had been initiated deliberately before the elections to prevent pro-Russian voters from reaching polling stations.

Only three other political entities besides the PAS and the Patriotic Bloc crossed the electoral threshold: Alternativa (8.0%), Our Party (6.2%) and Democracy Home (PPDA, 5.6%). All have declared pro-EU orientations, though their founders have close links to Russia.

Alternativa is composed of political vehicles aligned with the mayor of Chisinau Ion Ceban, who is under an entry ban in Romania; 2024 presidential candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo, backed by former president Igor Dodon; former prime minister Ion Chicu, who was appointed by Dodon; and former MP Mark Tkachuk, known for both supporting Moldova’s integration into the Eurasian Union and advocating closer ties with Russia.

Our Party is led by Renato Usatîi, who has conducted business and derived significant wealth in Russia.

PPDA, despite sharing an acronym with Andrei Năstase’s former pro-EU Dignity and Truth Platform Party, is in fact a different party founded in 2011 by Vasile Costiuc and re-launched this year with support from the Romanian far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR).

Turnout in the September 28 elections reached 52%, with 1.6mn ballots cast. Of this total, 280,000 votes (17.5%) were cast abroad. Votes in Russia (4,200) and Belarus (288) accounted for only a small share, while Italy (81,500), Germany (38,400), the United Kingdom (27,600) and France (25,700) accounted for the majority. Within Moldova, 376,000 votes were cast in the capital Chisinau (23.5% of the total, 54.7% turnout), and 12,300 votes (0.8% of the total votes) were registered as coming from Transnistria, as most of the voters were relocated out of the separatist region.

By region, the PAS received 78% of the votes cast abroad and 44% domestically. The Patriotic Bloc won just over 5% of the vote abroad but over 28% within Moldova. In Chisinau, the PAS obtained 52% of the vote, while the Patriotic Bloc performed below its national average with 21%. The Alternativa bloc secured 14.5% in the capital – nearly double its overall result.