Moldova’s ruling pro-Western party has won a decisive victory and a fresh majority in parliament after a crucial election fraught with allegations of Russian interference.
Before the vote, President Maia Sandu warned that Russia had spent “hundreds of millions of euros” in a bid to sway the result, seen as crucial for the former Soviet state’s future path to the European Union.
But after all votes were counted on Monday, Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) secured more than 50% of the vote, far ahead of the pro-Russian opposition Patriotic Bloc with under 25%.
Igor Dodan, head of the Patriotic Bloc and Sandu’s predecessor as president, called for protests on Monday outside the parliament in the capital Chisinau. Before the vote, Moldovan authorities warned of the risk of disruption and street violence once polls closed.
Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, a member of the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc, speaks to supporters protesting outside the Electoral Commission after the polls closed on Sunday. Vadim Ghirda/AP
Casting her vote Sunday, Sandu said there was “a lot at stake” for Moldova, and that she hoped the coun
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