Russia warns of manipulation in overseas voting as EU leaders visit Chisinau to back President Sandu.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Moldovan authorities of attempting to skew the September parliamentary elections in their favor, reports 24brussels.
“Aware of their own inability to win the elections fairly, they are trying to prepare the ground in case something goes wrong at a key moment in the electoral contest and ruins all their plans,” Zakharova stated, alleging that the Moldovan government is planning to manipulate the overseas vote, a tactic it has reportedly used in past elections.
“Attention has repeatedly been drawn to the selectivity and, to put it bluntly, the manipulations in the choice of polling stations opened outside Moldova,” she added. The former Soviet republic is at a critical juncture, with legislative elections just a month away that will determine its alignment with either the European Union or Russia.
In a show of support for Moldova and President Maia Sandu, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Chisinau on Wednesday.
Sandu previously accused Moscow of orchestrating “unprecedented interference” in the Moldovan elections, prompting her to convene the country’s Security Council for urgent discussions on response measures.
Moldova’s emigrant workers and residents in countries including Italy, Spain, and Portugal could prove pivotal in the upcoming elections, similar to the pro-EU referendum of 2024, where the “yes” vote thrived due to diaspora participation. Analysts suggest that Sandu’s Action and Solidarity Party might need to form a coalition to retain power.
