Moldova's pro-EU party hails poll win despite 'dirty' Russian tactics

Moldova's pro-EU ruling party on Monday celebrated a key election victory, as it accused Russia of throwing "everything dirty it had" into a bid to sway the vote in the ex-Soviet republic.

The small EU candidate country neighbouring Ukraine and with a pro-Russia breakaway region has long been divided over whether to move closer with Brussels or maintain Soviet-era relations with Moscow.

Sunday's parliamentary elections -- won by the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) -- were seen as crucial in determining whether the nation of 2.4 million would keep up its push towards EU integration, launched after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

"Yesterday's vote is a strong mandate for the process of Moldova's accession to the EU," President Maia Sandu of PAS told reporters on Monday.

But the elections were marred by widespread allegations of Russian interference -- vote-buying, attempts to stir unrest and disinformation on what the EU called an unprecedented scale.

"Russia threw everything dirty it had into the fight.... It's not only PAS that won the elections, the people won," PAS leader Igor Grosu told a press conference.

Moscow denies the allegations of meddling.

Final results showed that PAS got 50.20 percent of the vote, compared with 24.18 percent for the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, according to results published on the election commission's website.

PAS's vote share dipped slightly from the last parliamentary elections four years ago and it is projected to have 55 seats in the 101-member parliament, down from the 63 seats it has now.

- 'Right path' -

Moldovans themselves were divided on the results, with some hailing another step towards the European Union while others were sceptical of the allegations against Russia.

"It's very nice to wake up in a Moldova which chose the right path: peace, development and stability," Nadir Grinco, 25, who works in organisational communication, told AFP in Chisinau.

She said she had been considering moving from the country but now was "feeling more confident."

However Liuba Peribicovski, a 75-year-old pensioner, said the result was "negative" for her, and called on the EU to "prove this meddling" that it accuses Russia of.

About 200 people gathered briefly outside parliament on Monday, chanting "freedom" and "Moldova", following a call to protest by one of the leaders of the pro-Russian opposition Patriotic Bloc, Igor Dodon.

Dodon, a former president, has accused PAS of stealing the vote and said complaints have been filed to the election commission.

"Yesterday's parliamentary elections in Moldova demonstrated a high level of commitment to democracy amid unprecedented hybrid threats coming from Russia," said Paula Cardoso, special coordinator and leader of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) short-term observers.

- Support slipping -

Turnout during Sunday's election stood at 52.21 percent, similar to that of the last parliamentary elections.

Moldova is one of Europe's poorest countries and voters have expressed frustration over economic hardship, as well as scepticism over the drive to join the EU.

The country also has a pro-Russia breakaway region, Transnistria, whose local authorities claimed there were attempts to limit voting.

European leaders -- including neighbouring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky -- hailed the election result as a victory for the continent.

"Russia failed to destabilise Moldova even after spending huge, huge resources to undermine it and to corrupt whoever they could," Zelensky said.

France, Germany and Poland in a joint statement said: "Moldovan voters have shown once again that they will not allow their future in peace and freedom to be taken away from them... despite unprecedented interference by Russia."

Moldova's government has accused the Kremlin of spending hundreds of millions to interfere in the campaign.

In the lead-up to the vote, prosecutors carried out hundreds of searches related to what the government said was "electoral corruption" and "destabilisation attempts", with dozens arrested.