The parliamentary elections in Moldova are a dispute between East and West, Romanian President Nicos Dan said in an interview with the Romanian television channel Antena 3 CNN. The information was also quoted in Moldovan media, BTA reported.
„It would be wrong for me to interfere in any way in the elections in the Republic of Moldova. This is a sovereign right of the citizens of this country. I can only say that I am committed to supporting this country with all my might“, said Nikusor Dan and described the parliamentary elections on September 28 as “very important“.
“(…) In practice, they represent a dispute between the East and the West, between the pro-Western course and closer ties with Russia“, commented the Romanian president.
According to him, the results will be very close and therefore every vote matters.
The Romanian president also spoke of possible Russian interference, including based on the experience of the presidential elections and the referendum in Moldova in 2024, when “it is believed that between 80 and 100 thousand votes were bought in favor of Russia“.
“There is illegal influence from the Russian Federation and I think it is obvious to everyone that whoever makes these election efforts, "does not do it for ideology, for principles, but to influence the future of this country," the Romanian president commented.
Russia wants to turn Moldova against Europe, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on September 9.
At the beginning of the election campaign, Maia Sandu said in a podcast by a Moldovan journalist that the Russian Federation had allocated about $100 million to influence the elections in order to form a pro-Russian majority in parliament. According to her, last year Russia allocated about $200 million to try to change the outcome of the presidential election (in which she was re-elected) and the referendum on whether to enshrine EU accession as a strategic goal in the country's constitution.
The result of the first round of the presidential election in Romania last year was annulled due to allegations of Russian interference. According to the authorities in Bucharest, the candidacy of Calin Georgescu, an extreme nationalist with anti-NATO and anti-European messages, was supported by Russian interference and a hybrid influence campaign on TikTok. The presidential elections in Romania were repeated in May, and in the second round, Nicosor Dan was elected head of state.
Russia rejects accusations of interference in the electoral process in both Romania and Moldova.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that the Moldovan authorities continue to accuse Russia of attempting to interfere in the upcoming elections without providing evidence.
„At the same time, the Sandu regime is exerting psychological pressure on the population and threatening its political rivals. "The West, which controls Moldova with an iron fist, continues to show its unconditional support for its protégés," Zakharova commented, as quoted by the Moldovan news website Știri.md.