EU: Moldova's Elections Took Place Under Unprecedented Interference From Russia

The presidential elections in Moldova, as well as the referendum on the country's European integration, were held in an environment of unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies.

This was stated today in Brussels during a briefing by the European Union spokesman Peter Stano, according to Reuters.

According to him, the EU closely watched both the referendum and presidential elections in Moldova, which is a very important partner for the European Union.

‘This vote took place under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies, aiming to destabilise the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova,’ Stano said.

He said that the EU is awaiting the announcement of the final official results of both votes, as well as the conclusions of the ODIHR/OSCE election observers. After that, the EU will issue its formal reaction.

Stano noted that Russia's external interference and information manipulation against Moldova has many ‘faces and forms’ and was used against the country long before the election day. In particular, this applies to attempts to buy votes, which are confirmed by the government of the country. In addition, Russia and its proxies started spreading their propaganda in Moldova long before the elections, not in the last days or weeks before them. In response to such subversive activities, the EU launched a targeted partnership mission with Moldova a year and a half ago, with the main objective of increasing Moldova's resilience and ability to withstand external interference and information manipulation.

‘After the beginning of Russia's criminal aggression against Ukraine, Moldova also came under attack... The EU receives such information from the Moldovan authorities, from the EU delegation and from member states that have embassies in the country. So we have the opportunity to receive (reliable) information with which to work, and we can say that Moldova is facing truly unprecedented attempts at intimidation and external interference by Russia and its proxies,’ the EU spokesman said.

He noted that not only Moldova but also other countries are facing the problems of such hostile activities. The situation is complicated by the fact that Russia does not follow any rules or boundaries in its subversive actions, while the EU and its partners must adhere to certain principles and laws in order to protect themselves from such actions. That is why the challenge posed by Russia's external interference and information manipulation is complex and requires a concerted effort from the EU and its partners, including Moldova.

As The Gaze previously reported, as of 10:00 a.m. in Moldova, the Central Election Commission has processed 98.56% of the presidential election protocols. The current president of the country, Maia Sandu, is leading with 42.07% of the vote, followed by Alexandru Stoianoglo, who gained 26.27%. Thus, a second round of the presidential election will be organised.

The referendum processed 98.56% of the ballots. The majority of votes were in favour of the country's accession to the European Union (50.16%).

Meanwhile, Sandu said that law enforcement agencies had exposed a criminal group that intended to buy 300,000 votes in the elections.