Tusk, Macron, and Merz accuse Russia of interfering in the Moldovan elections

On Monday, the heads of state and government of France, Germany, and Poland congratulated Moldova on the clear outcome of the parliamentary elections held over the weekend, which they believe confirms the country's commitment to democracy and European integration.

In their joint statement, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Donald Tusk praised the peaceful conduct of the vote, but sharply criticized Russia for what they called “unprecedented interference,” which they said took the form of vote buying and the spread of disinformation.

On Monday, the Kremlin accused the Moldovan authorities of making it difficult for hundreds of thousands of Moldovans living in Russia to vote in Sunday's elections, as only two polling stations had been opened for the large diaspora.
When asked whether Moscow would recognize the results, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that some political forces in Moldova had spoken of irregularities.

President Maia Sandu's Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) won Sunday's parliamentary elections with more than 50.1 percent of the vote and will have a majority of 55 seats in the 101-seat parliament. She will therefore not need to form a coalition.

Maintaining a parliamentary majority will enable her to continue the process of EU accession, which will, however, require years of legislative reform.

(reuters, max)