Overview

• Polling stations opened Sunday for the 101-seat contest, with preliminary results expected late tonight or early Monday.
• Pre-election surveys put President Maia Sandu’s PAS in front but short of an outright majority, raising the prospect of difficult coalition talks during an economic downturn.
• Authorities report arrests after nationwide raids and accuse Russia of bankrolling parties, buying votes and recruiting youths, with Sandu saying hundreds of millions of euros are involved.
• The Central Election Commission removed two pro‑Russian parties from the ballot over financing irregularities, while the Patriot Bloc and the Alternativa alliance continue to vie for seats.
• Officials highlight organized voter transports from Transnistria and from abroad and a flood of online disinformation, which the European Commission labels unprecedented.