Moldovans vote in a tense election amid claims of Russian interference

CHISINAU: Moldovans on Sunday 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 govt. A proposed govt needs parliamentary approval.



The race pits the governing pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity 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.

'France asked to remove some Moldovan channels from app'

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of the Telegram messaging app, accused French intelligence on Sunday of having asked him through an intermediary to censor some Moldovan voices in return for help with his court case in France.

The French foreign ministry said that Durov had made similar accusations about France trying to manipulate politics in Romania earlier this year. Durov was arrested in 2024 in France while being probed for suspected organised crime on the app.