Double or nothing. Moldovans go to the polls to choose a new Parliament. Stuck between Ukraine at war and Romania, a member of the Union, this country of three million inhabitants is a symbolic battlefield, caught in a confrontation that goes beyond it. In Chisinau, there is talk of a “truth ballot” : should the former Soviet Republic continue its march towards Brussels or return to Moscow’s orbit?
At the heart of the fray: the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), showcase of Maia Sandu, pro-European president of Moldova and favored target of criticism of the Patriotic Bloc, a pro-Russian cartel born from the recomposition of the left. The polls show them neck and neck. According to the iData institute, the Patriotic Bloc received 36% of voting intentions, compared to 34.7% for PAS. Other surveys predict that no clear majority is guaranteed.
The competition is not only played out at the ballot box. Chisinau accuses Moscow of piloting sophisticated digital campaigns: fake news sites, Telegram bots and artificial intelligence responsible for sowing doubt. In the process, 74 people were arrested, suspected of having participated in a destabilization attempt financed by the Kremlin. As usual, the Russian scarecrow emerges, fueling the electoral drama.
Between promises of economic stability and dreams of continental integration, Moldovans oscillate
Bulletins from Transnistria
Transnistria, a ghost republic stuck between Soviet nostalgia and alcohol trafficking, is also coming back to the fore. Although it is not under Chisinau’s control, its residents can vote. Nearly 30,000 voters are expected, thanks to twelve special offices established on the border of this secessionist territory where you pay in casino chips. In this straight-line vote, these tens of thousands of ballots from Transnistria weigh in the ballot boxes like an invisible hand. Chisinau has deployed police and patrols to ward off fraud and intimidation. Moscow, furious at having seen its observers sidelined, called the Moldovan ambassador to order.
This electoral duel is also a reflection of a social malaise made up of inflation, unemployment and massive emigration. The country is suffering. The Patriotic Bloc promises wage increases and benevolent neutrality towards Moscow. The PAS is betting on the urban middle classes, connected youth and European subsidies. Between promises of economic stability and dreams of continental integration, the Moldovans oscillate.
Chisinau had already served as the scene, at the end of August, for a carefully calibrated staging: Macron, Merz and Tusk, gathered around Sandu, had come to celebrate the Moldovan national day as a European dubbing is proclaimed. Moscow is pushing hard, it is understood; but Europe is not remaining idle. In Moldova, the ballot boxes are never completely alone.
