Moldova Parliamentary Elections (2025)

2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections were general elections held on 28 September 2025 to determine the new members of the country’s 101-seat legislative body. President Maia Sandu’s party, the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), emerged as the leading party with a majority.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu voting in Chișinău, 28 September 2025 – (Anadolu Agency)

Preelection Process

The 2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections involved 14 political parties, four political blocs, and four independent candidates. According to electoral law, parties needed to surpass a 5% vote threshold, political blocs a 7% threshold, and independent candidates a 2% threshold to enter parliament.

Prominent political actors in the election included the Action and Solidarity Party (Partidul Acțiune și Solidaritate, PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu; the Socialist Party (PSRM) and the Communist Party (PCRM), both considered pro-Russian; and the Patriotic Bloc formed by the Party of Moldova’s Future. The Alternative Bloc also participated. Leaders of the Alternative Bloc included Chișinău Mayor Ion Ceban and former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo. In addition, Our Party (Partidul Nostru) and the Party for Democracy in the Homeland competed as potential contenders for parliamentary representation.

The Victory Bloc (Blocul Victoriei) was a political formation led by business magnate Ilan Shor, who resides in Russia. Shor has been convicted of corruption and money laundering charges. The bloc was barred from participating in the elections by the Central Electoral Commission due to allegations of illegal financing. The opposition accused the Sandu government of orchestrating this decision to gain an advantage in the electoral process.

Public opinion polls indicated a close race between PAS and the Patriotic Bloc before the election, with no single party expected to secure an outright majority. Sandu and her government claimed the elections would be “the most critical vote determining the country’s future.”

Election Participation

The 2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections began at 07:00 on Sunday, 28 September 2025, and ended at 21:00. Voting took place at polling stations across the country and abroad.

2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections, 28 September 2025 – (Anadolu Agency)

According to data from the Central Electoral Commission, voter turnout reached 52.15%, exceeding the 48% recorded in the 2021 elections. A total of 1.59 million voters cast ballots, including 264,000 who voted at polling stations established abroad.

Voter participation in the Transnistria region was lower than in previous years. Approximately 12,000 voters cast ballots, though reports indicated difficulties in reaching polling stations and some stations were closed due to bomb threats. Voters were directed to 12 polling stations located near the regional border. To enhance transparency, voting procedures in certain centers were recorded via camera systems, with footage to be reviewed if irregularities were reported.

Election Results

According to preliminary results released by the Moldovan Central Electoral Commission, over 98% of votes had been counted by the time of reporting. In the election, three parties and two blocs surpassed the electoral threshold and gained representation in the 101-seat parliament.

The Action and Solidarity Party (Partidul Acțiune și Solidaritate, PAS), led by President Maia Sandu, received 49.63% of the vote, becoming the leading party. Other sources reported the figure as 50.1%. PAS thus secured an outright majority in parliament.

The Patriotic Bloc, composed of the pro-Russian Socialist Party, Communist Party, and Party of Moldova’s Future, received between 24.2% and 24.5% of the vote, placing second.

Other entities that surpassed the electoral threshold included the Alternative Bloc (8.06%), Our Party (6.24%), and the Party for Democracy in the Homeland (5.66%). As a result, the number of political formations entering parliament increased to five.

PAS achieved a majority sufficient to form a government on its own in the 2025 elections, eliminating the need for a coalition. Under the constitution, the election results will be submitted to the Constitutional Court for approval, a process to be completed within five days.

Allegations of Russian Interference

The 2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections took place amid allegations of Russian interference. President Maia Sandu and government officials stated that Moscow conducted a “hybrid war” to influence the electoral process. Prime Minister Dorin Recean claimed Russia spent “hundreds of millions of euros” to interfere in the elections, describing it as “the final struggle for the country’s future.”

National Security Advisor Stanislav Secrieru alleged that Russia employed “unprecedented methods,” including vote buying, AI-driven disinformation, and plans for violence. On election day and in the preceding period, cyberattacks targeted Moldova’s electoral infrastructure and government institutions’ websites, with cloud systems operated by the government specifically targeted.

The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that some voting centers in Belgium, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the United States were evacuated due to bomb threats. The Moldovan embassy in Brussels was also evacuated for similar reasons.

Allegations of irregularities included mass transportation of voters, ballot stuffing, and voter intimidation. PAS leader Igor Grosu claimed voters were transported by car, ballots were stolen, and the election process was sabotaged through bomb threats.

On election day, Moldovan police detained three individuals allegedly arriving from Transnistria, who were suspected of preparing for “mass unrest” after the elections. Police also reported that groups allegedly trained in weapons in Serbia were preparing to incite chaos in Moldova.

Moscow rejected all allegations. The Russian government dismissed Moldova’s claims as baseless and denied any interference in the electoral process.

Postelection Developments

Following the announcement of election results, Igor Grosu, leader of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), emphasized Russian interference during the election and stated that efforts were made to obstruct voter participation through various means. Grosu asserted that ballot theft, the transportation of voters by vehicle, and bomb threats were deliberate attempts to undermine election security.

Vladimir Dodon, leader of the Patriotic Bloc and former president, refused to accept the election results and called for protests before the Central Electoral Commission. Dodon claimed that PAS had lost the elections and that the opposition could unite to secure a parliamentary majority. He also demanded that votes be counted “fairly.”

Ion Ceban, president of the Alternative Bloc, declared his opposition to any attempts to annul the election results, warning that such efforts would plunge the country into instability. Renato Usatîi, leader of Our Party, stated that voters had been intimidated during the election process and that this had affected the outcome.

International Reactions and Global Context

The elections were viewed as a critical step in Moldova’s path toward Europe. Siegfried Mureșan, president of the European Parliament’s delegation to Moldova and a Romanian MEP, stated that pro-European forces had won the elections despite foreign interference, strengthening Moldova’s orientation toward the European Union.

One international dimension that emerged during the elections involved claims by Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram. Durov alleged that French intelligence had requested he shut down certain Telegram channels used by the Moldovan government. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied these claims and recalled that Durov had made similar allegations during Romania’s previous elections.

Russia firmly rejected accusations of interference. Moscow accused the Moldovan government and Western partners of exacerbating internal divisions and heightening tensions in the Transnistria region.