The pro-European party leads the count of the legislative elections in Moldova.

BarcelonaThe pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), currently in power, leads the Moldovan parliamentary elections with 40% of the vote, according to initial official results, with 28% counted. With these partial results, the opposition Patriotic Electoral Bloc, with a pro-Russian tendency, would obtain 31.5% of the vote, but it is still unknown whether PAS will have enough of a majority to remain in power.

For several years now—particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine—every election held in Moldova has been presented as a referendum on the country's foreign policy. Since gaining independence in 1991, following the fall of the Soviet Union, Moldova has oscillated between rapprochement with Brussels and maintaining its relations with Moscow, as has happened with other countries in the former Soviet sphere, such as Georgia.

More than 1.5 million people cast their votes in the parliamentary elections, with turnout reaching 52%. As was the case in the presidential elections and the referendum on EU membership last year, there was a high turnout among the Moldovan community abroad, which accounts for 20% of the electorate and is inclined to vote in favor of European integration.

And as in previous elections, there were accusations ofRussian interference to influence the electionsMoscow's objective is to deprive the pro-European party of its majority in Parliament, allowing the other parties to block the reforms Brussels is demanding from Moldova to pave the way for Europe. This, in turn, could freeze Ukraine's application, which the EU does not want to separate from Moldova's.

Brussels and Chisinau have already denounced Russian interference in the outcome of thepro-European referendumand in last year's presidential elections, in which she again defeated the pro-European Maia Sandu of the PAS. As she cast her vote, Sandu emphasized the importance of the election result: "Moldova, our beloved home, is in danger and needs the help of each and every one of you. You can save it today with your vote. Tomorrow may be too late." "The fate of our country must be decided by your vote, not by bought votes," she added.

This political polarization regarding their relationship with Moscow was evident in the statements made by the leaders of the two main parties after the polls closed. The head of the ruling party's list, Igor Grosu, accused Russia of "colossal" attempts to undermine the elections, citing "vote buying, destabilization attempts, and false bomb threats." While his main rival, former president Igor Dodon, said the PAS "panicked" and called on citizens to gather at noon this Monday near the Parliament to "defend" the change.