On September 18, 2025, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean warned of potential vote rigging in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for September 28. He noted that during the 2024 elections, about 8% of the votes had been falsified, and claimed that the target this year was even higher. Recean accused Russia and criminal groups it funds of seeking to undermine Moldova’s pro-European government through manipulation of the ballot. He stressed that state institutions are acting daily to counter those organizing fraudulent schemes as well as the financing of propaganda and disinformation, and pledged that these efforts would continue.
Ruling party outlines threats if pro-Russian forces win
On the same day, leaders of the ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) presented voters with seven major threats they believe Moldova would face if pro-Russian forces were to prevail in the elections. The PAS warned that the results would determine whether Moldova deepens its integration with the European Union or falls under Moscow’s influence. To underscore the stakes, the party organized a symbolic vote with two ballot boxes: one representing “peace, development and modernization” and the other “poverty, lies and crime.” The threats outlined included the potential return of fugitives shielded from justice, loss of visa-free travel to the EU, halted reforms, and Moldova being turned into a platform for Russia’s hybrid actions against Ukraine.
Security services intensify actions ahead of the vote
Moldovan police reported carrying out more than 200 searches in the first two weeks of September, leading to the detention of nine individuals now under investigation for electoral corruption, illicit party financing, and money laundering. Officials argue that pro-Russian parties could block key reforms needed for EU accession, provoke separatist movements in Gagauzia and Transnistria, and destabilize the wider region of Eastern Europe. The presence of Russian troops in Transnistria continues to raise concerns about possible provocations. PAS leaders stressed that these elections are not simply a domestic contest but a geopolitical turning point with implications for Romania, Ukraine, and the entire region.
Broader geopolitical stakes
President Maia Sandu and senior PAS officials have repeatedly cautioned that a victory for pro-Russian forces could derail Moldova’s European trajectory and diminish its international standing. Lawmakers and ministers warned of the risk of a “police state” and the stripping away of democratic freedoms if a Kremlin-aligned government takes power. The outcome of the September 28 election is widely viewed as a critical test of whether Moldova will remain on a pro-European path or drift back into Moscow’s orbit.
