Historically, Moldova was one of Russia's allies until the invasion of Ukraine, which sparked a lot of economic instability within the country. It had specifically led to both energy shocks and higher inflation, while also being met with a substantial decline in population due to migration and political divisions.
A decision was made in Moldova whether to align with the European Union or Russia, and the Moldovans chose the pro EU party. The pro-Russian party has decided to protest the results and contest them within their supreme court.
The pro EU party had won just over 50% of the votes, whereas the pro-Russia party won 24.3% of the votes. The pro EU party had been accusing Russia of interference within the election, opposed to the pro-Russian claims of western interference within Moldova's election.
This is a surprising turn of events, as due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they are losing countries that had been open to Russian markets and their less economically dependent allies. Finland and Sweden were both intimidated by Russia's sudden invasion of a neutral country, and tied themselves to NATO. This shows a growing trend among countries that they are less likely to either trust or want to align themselves to Russia.
"This vote for pro-European parties and for the majority in the parliament for pro-European parties is showing that the direction is clear: Moldovan people want peace, development under the European Union family... The EU announced the start of accession talks with Moldova in December 2023, and negotiations officially began in June 2024."
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/moldova-ruling-pro-eu-party-wins-election/live-74163154
Really interesting article! Moldova's turn towards the EU is part of a broader movement due to the invasion of Ukraine. It seems countries are reassessing their alignment with Russia as a result. In spite of pro-Russian forces putting up resistance, the fact that over half of the voters went pro-EU shows that the people want stability and progress. The court proceedings and protests will be a wait-and-see, but opening up EU talks gives a good idea where Moldova is headed.
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