Poland PM hails Moldova vote, says foiled Russian interference

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk warmly congratulated Moldova's President Maia Sandu and her pro-EU party on their election win on Monday, saying they had saved their democracy from Russian interference.

"It took real courage of the Moldovan nation and Maia Sandu personally to win this election," Tusk said in a social media post.

"Not only did you save democracy and kept the European course but you have also stopped Russia in its attempts to take control over the whole region. A good lesson for us all."

The small European Union candidate nation, which borders Ukraine and has a pro-Russia breakaway region, has long been divided over whether to move closer to Brussels or maintain Soviet-era relations with Moscow.

But, with more than 99.5 percent of ballots counted, Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) had won 50.03 percent of Sunday's vote compared to only 24.26 percent for the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc.