On Sunday, September 28th, Moldova’s Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) secured a ruling majority over Moldova’s parliament. The parliamentary elections were highly contested, as Moldova has been in the process of attaining EU membership for the past three years, the government’s economic measures have been unpopular, and there were Russian-backed interference allegations (Reuters). The pro-European Union party garnered 50% of the vote, while the Russia-leaning Patriotic Bloc got 24% (Reuters). Despite election interference and misinformation, Moldova’s PAS was able to win 55 out of 101 seats in the legislature, providing a strong-hold in parliament and allowing for a more favorable political environment to pass the reforms needed to join the EU (NPR).
Much of the news coverage surrounding Moldova’s election has been focused on claims of Russian interference (Associated Press). A week before the election, the government took action by carrying out more than a hundred raids, as the police investigated an alleged Russian-backed plan to incite unrest in the country (Associated Press). There have been multiple reports regarding Russian meddling in Moldova’s election (BBC). The BBC conducted an investigationfinding that individuals were being hired and paid to post anti-European Union, anti-PAS, and pro-Russia content on social media (BBC). Some of the false claims involved President Sandu participating in child trafficking, and the government falsifying election results (BBC). Those participating in this network were also paid to conduct false polling to sway public opinion away from PAS; their posts on social media have amassed around 23 million views (BBC). The money for this operation appears to have to come from Ilan Shor, a Moldovan oligarch who has been sanctioned by the United States and United Kingdom for corruption (BBC).
Artificial Intelligence has played a major role throughout this misinformation campaign as well. Reset Tech, a non-profit monitoring digital threats to democracy, found that an AI-generated platform called Restmedia was producing content that looked journalistic in nature, pushing opposition to President Sandu, PAS, and the EU (Associated Press 2). Other think tanks and non-profits monitoring digital misinformation have seen an increase in social media accounts (specifically TikTok) pushing “fear and resentment” about Moldovan politics (Associated Press 2). Around 500 fake accounts driven by 25 “core” accounts were using hashtags and manipulating the algorithm to make their content trend (Associated Press 2).
As the government and Moldovans await a smoother transition into EU membership, the country will still deal with rising inflation and misinformation campaigns from Russian-backed entities for the foreseeable future, but the successful election has maintained hope for Eastern European nations.
Sources:
Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/moldova-russia-arrests-plot-election-293ee902e878ce1efcca339759eb06d0
Associated Press 2: https://apnews.com/article/moldova-election-europe-disinformation-russia-461e9a1c9558ae140c5b7539a5c89fd4
Atlantic Council: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/fastthinking/moldovas-pro-eu-ruling-party-won-despite-russian-interference-now-what/
BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g5kl0n5d2o
NPR: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/29/nx-s1-5556800/moldova-pro-eu-party-wins-elections-russia