Portugal’s prime minister Luís Montenegro has emphasised the “free will of the people” of Moldova following the victory of the pro-European Union (EU) party in the legislative elections on Sunday.
“Portugal stands and will continue to stand by Moldova,” he said in a message posted over social media last night.
Mr Montenegro stressed that Moldovan voters have spoken clearly and chosen the European path, against “pressures and attempts at interference”.
The pro-European Solidarity and Action Party (PAS) won with over 50% of the votes, maintaining an absolute majority in parliament and staying ahead of the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, which obtained less than 25% of the votes.
Nonetheless, leader of the Patriotic Bloc, former president Igor Dodon (2016-2020), has tried claiming victory, calling for a demonstration in the capital, Chisinau.
With vote counting now seen as complete, President of Moldova Maia Sandu is expected to appoint a PAS prime minister, who will form a government without the need for coalitions.
Paula Cardoso, head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission, has described how Moldova’s elections were marked by serious interference from Russia, with illicit funding, cyber attacks and widespread disinformation.
“Everything came from Russia, from illicit funds channelled through front organisations to relentless disinformation campaigns, which undermined public confidence and generated cybersecurity incidents designed to sow chaos,” she said at a press conference held yesterday to present the mission observers’ conclusions.
The Kremlin has accused Moldova of preventing “hundreds of thousands” of Moldovans living in Russia from voting in the elections. But Maia Sandu responded by saying: “We have shown the whole world that we are courageous and dignified, that we have not been intimidated.”
With a population of just 2.4 million, Moldova has faced several crises since Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022, all of them jeopardising the pro-European government in Chisinau, which considers membership of the European bloc crucial to freeing itself from Moscow’s sphere of influence.
Around twenty parties and independent candidates ran in last Sunday’s elections.
Source: Lusa
