Moldovans cast ballots in a tense election plagued by Russian interference claims

Moldovans are heading to the polls to cast ballots in a tense parliamentary election plagued by claims of Russian interference, a vote seen as a choice between integration with the European Union or a drift back into Moscow’s fold.

CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldovans are heading to the polls to cast ballots in a tense parliamentary election plagued by claims of Russian interference, a vote seen as a choice between integration with the European Union or a drift back into Moscow’s fold.

Sunday’s pivotal vote will elect a new 101-seat parliament, after which Moldova’s president nominates a prime minister, generally from the leading party or bloc, which can then try to form a new government. A proposed government then needs parliamentary approval.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. (12 a.m. Sunday ET) and will close at 9 p.m. (2 p.m. ET). The Central Electoral Commission reported more than 400,000 people, or about 14% of eligible voters, had cast ballots by 11 a.m.

The tense race pits the governing pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity, or PAS, which has held a strong parliamentary majority since 2021 but risks losing it, against several Russia-friendly opponents but no viable pro-European partners, leaving uncertainty over potential outcomes and the geopolitical course the country will take.

After casting her ballot, Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu reiterated long-held claims that Russia “massively interfered” in the election, saying she voted “to keep the peace” and that her country’s future lies within the E.U.