Moldova’s Election Registration Closes as Pro-European Push Grows

CHISINAU, Moldova — Electoral authorities in Moldova closed registration on Tuesday for next month’s parliamentary election, which focuses on public support for President Maia Sandu‘s goal to join the European Union by 2030.

The Central Election Commission announced a list of 21 authorized participants for the September 28 poll, coinciding with Moldova’s independence Day celebrations. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, are scheduled to attend and support Sandu’s pro-European initiatives.

Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity currently holds 61 seats in the 101-member assembly, but a recent opinion poll suggested it may win only 41 seats in the upcoming election.

At a reception on Monday, Sandu emphasized that Moldova’s path to EU membership was “irreversible.” She stated, “We are moving decisively towards becoming a member state by the end of the decade. We have the historic chance to become part of the safest and most prosperous space of peace, freedom and justice.”

The election features two significant blocs: the Patriotic Bloc, which consists of Socialists and Communists advocating closer ties with Russia and projected to win 36 seats, and the Alternative Bloc, facing accusations of pro-Kremlin bias, expected to win 13 seats. Alexandr Stoianoglo, a leader of the Alternative Bloc and former prosecutor general, warned that the West would soon lose interest in Moldova when the conflict in Ukraine concludes.

Last year, Sandu won re-election against Stoianoglo by a 10-point margin, relying significantly on support from Moldovans abroad. A recent referendum narrowly endorsed her EU membership campaign.

Sandu has raised concerns about Russian influence in the election, claiming that Moscow plans to funnel $100 million into Moldova using cryptocurrency to assist pro-Russian political entities. A pro-Russian bloc controlled by a fugitive Moldovan business magnate was banned from participating in the election.