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Europe|Moldova’s Pivotal Election Projected to End in Victory for Pro-Europeans
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/world/europe/moldova-election-russia.html
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The party of President Maia Sandu appeared poised to keep its majority in Parliament, in a vote widely seen as a showdown between Europe and Russia.
Sept. 28, 2025, 7:23 p.m. ET
Moldova’s pro-European party appeared poised for victory after a nail-biting election plagued by Russian interference, likely retaining its majority in Parliament in what many observers have called the most important campaign in the nation’s recent history.
The projected win, which still needs to be made official on Monday after final votes are counted, could further the bid of Moldova, a former Soviet republic, to enter the European Union. Entry into the E.U. would have been under threat had parties aligned with Russia made serious gains in the race.
The election had taken on outsize global importance, considering that Moldova is a tiny nation of 2.4 million. Wedged between Romania and Ukraine, it is strategically important as the war in Ukraine rages on. The vote had also become a referendum on Europe versus Russia, with Moldovans choosing which vision of their future to embrace.
The likely victory for the pro-European party was a signal that domestic problems, including expensive gas and widespread poverty, have not derailed the party and its ambitions.
The map shows the tiny nation of Moldova, situated between Romania and Ukraine, and Russia to the northeast.
Moscow
belarus
russia
poland
ukraine
MOLDOVA
Chisinau
ROMANIA
200 miles
Black Sea
The election, for 101 representatives to Moldova’s Parliament, came at a critical moment in the nation’s geopolitics. Moldova has deep historical ties to Russia but in recent years has drawn closer to the European Union.
