Evening of changes: the opposition gained about 49% in the parliamentary elections in Moldova

After processing 80% of the protocols, Moldova's ruling Action and Solidarity party receives 44.55% of the votes in the parliamentary elections, while opposition parties receive about 49%, the Central Election Commission of the republic reported. At the same time, the winning party will also have to form a majority, which will not be easy. The voting process itself on September 28 was accompanied by an unprecedented number of provocations both inside the country and abroad. According to media reports, voters were driven to foreign polling stations, "instructions" were sent on the results of voting and bridges leading to voting places were blocked. At the same time, the authorities increased pressure on ordinary citizens through law enforcement agencies, the head of the Moldovan diaspora, Nikolai Pogonets, told Izvestia. In the run-up to the elections, the ruling party of Maia Sandu consistently lost its positions, and now - in the case of proven vote fraud - large-scale protests may begin in the republic, experts believe. About how the political course of Moldova and the reaction of the West to what is happening will develop further — in the material of Izvestia.

Election results in Moldova

After processing 80% of the protocols, Moldova's ruling Action and Solidarity party receives 44.55% of the votes in the parliamentary elections, while opposition parties receive about 49%, the Central Election Commission of the republic reported.

Almost 1.6 million citizens of the country voted at the polling stations for 15 parties, four blocs and four independent candidates. From the point of view of the republic's legislation, parliamentary elections are the most important in the country. The candidate for the post of Prime Minister is approved not by the President, but by the legislature. Accordingly, if the parliament is "taken away" by the opposition, the president has to take into account the position of the majority.

In the case of the current ruling Action and Solidarity party (PDS), the elections should essentially determine the future of its pro-European course, which was set by President Maia Sandu. So far, it has brought only a rapid deterioration in the lives of Moldovan citizens. Prices have started to rise in the republic, and salaries have become noticeably lower. During the four years that the MPC was at the helm, inflation in the country reached 66%, the cost of energy resources increased sixfold due to Chisinau's conscious refusal of Russian fuel in favor of Brussels, and the national debt rose to $7.8 billion.

As a result, protests began to increase in the republic: farmers, teachers and workers took to the streets. Later, the unrest in the republic began to take on a massive character: this summer and spring, the opposition in Chisinau gathered thousands of rallies more than once.

The situation was noticeably warmed up by the outbreak of the energy crisis. On December 28, Gazprom notified the Russian-Moldovan distribution company Moldovagaz that from January 1, 2025, it would stop supplies to the republic that violated the terms of the contract and refused to settle the debt. Also, after the termination of gas transit through Ukraine, Moldavian GRES stopped supplying electricity to the republic. However, instead of resolving issues within the country, the current authorities began to put intense pressure on the opposition in order to somehow maintain their positions. The Pobeda opposition bloc, which advocates restoring relations with Russia, the Heart of Moldova party of the former head of the Gagauz Autonomy, Irina Vlah, and others were removed from the elections.

In recent years, dozens of opposition TV channels and information portals have been closed in the country. Criminal cases have been initiated against opposition representatives more than once. One of the most high-profile cases was the case of the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, who advocated strengthening ties with Moscow, and in 2024 personally met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In August, she, a mother of two young children, was sentenced to seven years in prison and deprived of the right to be a member of political parties.

Obviously, the rating of the ruling party has been falling rapidly lately. According to the latest Insider Moldova poll, she could only get 18% in the elections, and the Patriotic Bloc should have won in such conditions with a result of 34%. According to the iData survey, 36% of voters were ready to vote for him, while only 34.7% of voters were ready to vote for the PDS.

Now, if the election results are rigged, protests may start in the republic, HSE analyst Nicole Bodisteanu tells Izvestia.

— The reaction of the West will be mixed. Moldova will definitely receive the full support of Brussels, while the United States may well criticize the democratic nature of the election process. Moldovans, in principle, have already received such hints from Washington and will continue to receive them if the elections are held undemocratically, the expert believes.

In general, the actions began on election day after the polls closed. Supporters of the Patriotic Bloc are protesting against the falsification of the parliamentary elections of the ruling party outside the CEC building.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that they stand for the restoration of constructive relations between countries and peoples.

Mass provocations in the Moldovan elections

Against the background of the low rating of the PYD due to the depressing standard of living in the country, this year's vote was accompanied by an unprecedented number of provocations, including abroad. According to media reports, in Austria, a pick-up of voters was organized at one of the polling stations. In France and Spain, the observers were denied accreditation. In Targu-Mureş, Romania, the observers were simply not allowed to enter the site. At the same time, two citizens were arrested in Serbia on charges of preparing riots in Moldova after the elections. In addition, local media reported that the ruling party sent instructions to polling stations abroad on the results of voting in the parliamentary elections. For example, one of the polling stations in Italy must give 87% of the votes for the PDS with a turnout of at least 79%.

In general, the number of voters in the parliamentary elections in Moldova who voted at foreign polling stations amounted to more than 270 thousand people, the CEC of the republic reported. However, this is not the final data, as due to the time difference, the sites in Europe were closed later.

On the day of the vote, Maia Sandu declared corruption in the parliamentary elections in the country. In an address to citizens after visiting the polling station, she noted that, according to estimates by law enforcement agencies, €100 million was spent on bribing voters. Sandu promised to make all the details public later. The President did not rule out that the results of the parliamentary elections in the country could be annulled due to alleged interference in the electoral process.

The provocations also affected the regions whose support Chisinau doubts the most. For example, in Transnistria, several polling stations were closed due to mining threats. Some of them didn't have enough ballots. The authorities have opened only 12 polling stations for residents of the unrecognized republic — almost three times less than in last year's presidential elections. And a few days before the election, they started a large-scale repair of bridges. On the day of the vote, law enforcement officers stopped traffic on the bridge near the Transnistrian town of Rybnitsa after an anonymous threat about mining. Thus, residents with a Moldovan passport remained cut off from the sites, and, for example, a correspondent from the Czech Republic was completely blocked — he could not travel either to the right bank of the Dniester or return to the left. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR has protested to Moldova over attempts to restrict the participation of residents of the unrecognized republic in the elections.

However, violations were recorded throughout Moldova. The public human rights organization Promo-Lex reported 624 incidents. The police of the republic also reported that three people were detained after searches in the case of allegedly preparing riots and destabilizing the situation after the parliamentary elections. The media also reported that after the closure of the polling stations, the police in Chisinau increased security measures.

— We can talk about the maximum number of provocations and interventions, starting with the fact that right before the elections, the authorities decided to urgently repair almost all the bridges connecting Moldova and the PMR. Also in the last week, the ruling party has been trying to defiantly increase pressure on the opposition," HSE analyst Nicole Bodisteanu tells Izvestia.

Recall that in 2024, the victory of Maya Sandu in the presidential elections was secured by the votes of the foreign diaspora. Domestically, her opponent Alexander Stoyanoglo won with a score of 51.19%, while Sandu received 48.81%. The authorities probably expected a similar scenario this year. The number of foreign sites as a whole has been increased this year to 301 from 234 in 2024. At the same time, only two sites were opened in the territory of the Russian Federation at the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow. At the same time, significantly more land plots have been opened in European countries with fewer Moldovan citizens. For example, in Italy — 40 (per 23 thousand voters), in the USA — 22, in the UK — 23, and in Spain — 14.

The situation at the polling stations in Russia

Chisinau also took a special approach to Russia. The Central Election Commission of Moldova sent only 10 thousand ballots to the country where hundreds of thousands of Moldovans live for the parliamentary elections. At the same time, as of September 23, over 13,000 Moldovans registered to vote in the Russian Federation, which became a record among other countries.

The Moldovan diaspora in Russia told Izvestia that they had sent requests to open more land plots.

— My colleagues and I, the heads of regional organizations, tried to get more polling stations. We asked for at least 17, as it was before. But they refused us. We wrote petitions to various organizations, including the President of Moldova, the Central Election Commission, the UN, the Foreign Ministry, and the embassy. But there has been no response to our petition," Vladimir Bodorin, a member of the Diaspora and chairman of the interregional public organization Native Land, tells Izvestia.

Residents from other cities of Russia gathered to vote.: Ryazan, Kursk, and St. Petersburg.

— We came from St. Petersburg to vote, one day. We'll be buying tickets back now. People from all regions want to vote. We support Moldova, even though we live here. Now there is nothing left of the republic," Georgy Zhezhu tells Izvestia.

The head of the Moldovan diaspora, Nikolai Pogonets, told Izvestia that the voting process in Russia is proceeding calmly, while in the republic itself residents are facing severe pressure.

— It is difficult to answer the question of how these elections will end. Many are not just disappointed — the authorities have used a harsh, usurping method to intimidate people. There's even a situation where police officers call residents and tell them to vote correctly," he says.

Despite the tense political situation, the atmosphere at the embassy was indeed extremely festive: Moldovan citizens sang songs, danced, and performed round dances. Some of the voters came in national costumes or clothes in the colors of the national flag. Hot tea was distributed to everyone against the background of the gloomy weather in the capital.