Moldova’s pro-EU party wins parliamentary election fraught with Russian interference claims
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western governing party won a clear parliamentary majority, defeating pro-Russian groups in an election that was widely viewed as a stark choice between East and West.
With nearly all polling station reports counted, electoral data showed the pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity, or PAS, had 50.1% of the vote, while the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc has 24.2%. The Russia-friendly Alternativa Bloc came third, followed by the populist Our Party. The right-wing Democracy at Home party also won enough votes to enter parliament.
The tense ballot Sunday pitted the governing PAS against several Russia-friendly opponents but no viable pro-European partners. Electoral data indicate the party will hold a clear majority of about 55 of the 101 seats in the legislature.
The election was widely viewed as a geopolitical choice for Moldovans: between a path to the European Union or a drift back into Moscow’s fold.


