Moldova Accuses Russia of Disrupting Presidential Election and EU Referendum

Moldova has accused Russian authorities of attempting to interfere in its upcoming presidential election and EU membership referendum. Officials claim that Russia plans to bus in voters to the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow to sway the results, aiming to manipulate the outcome of the elections.

This was reported by The Moscow Times, citing Moldova’s Foreign Ministry.

“[Moldova] calls on the Russian authorities and other parties to refrain from actions that could disrupt the electoral process through illegal means or artificially create the appearance of crowds at the polling stations,” the ministry said.

This Sunday, October 20, Moldova will hold simultaneous presidential elections and a referendum on joining the European Union. Voters will cast their ballots to elect the country’s next president and decide whether to amend the constitution to make EU membership an official goal. Pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu remains the frontrunner in the presidential race.

Additionally, the White House adviser, John Kirby, stated on Tuesday during a briefing that the Russian Federation is spending millions of dollars to support pro-Russian parties and disinformation in Moldova.

"In the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova's presidential election. We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns," he said.

The publication reported that earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Moldovan authorities for allegedly printing just 10,000 ballots for the 500,000 Moldovans living and working in Russia who are eligible to vote. However, Zakharova did not specify how many of those Moldovans are registered to vote in this Sunday’s election.

Earlier, Moldovan officials accused Moscow of establishing a network to distribute cash ahead of the crucial elections, according to a report by Politico on October 3.

Incidents of Russian sabotage and interfering in elections have been on the rise since the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with constant new reports appearing.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky stated at a conference in Prague on October 9 that Russia is accountable for 80% of all global foreign influence operations.

At the beginning of September, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against 10 individuals and 2 entities suspected of influencing elections in the United States.