Results of Moldova's parliamentary election a victory for people's choice to integrate into EU - Golubeva

RIGA - The results of Moldova's parliamentary election are a victory for the people's choice to integrate into the European Union (EU) and a loss for Russia, Marija Golubeva, board chairperson of the Baltic Initiative on European Reform and Latvia's former interior minister, told LETA.

She noted that Russia had tried to influence the elections and, according to various estimates, the money invested by Russia to swing the elections in favor of pro-Russian candidates amounts to almost 1 percent of Moldova's gross domestic product.

Golubeva said that the part of Moldovan society that sees what is happening in the world and in Europe is serious about EU integration. Officials also have a responsible attitude towards the necessary reforms. With a strong enough civil society and a civil service that is ready to learn, Moldova has every chance of making rapid progress towards EU membership, she said.

"This is not about accession for the sake of accession. It is a process that helps societies to change, to develop stronger institutions and the rule of law. Moldova is on this path. Yes, there are many challenges ahead, because the direct influence of the oligarchs is no longer visible, but the indirect influence is still there, especially in places where European integration is not so popular, like Gagauzia, Transnistria", the former interior minister said.

Asked whether Russia could use Transnistria, which has effectively been under Russian control since 1992, to prevent Moldova from joining the EU, Golubeva said that such a possibility could not be ruled out. However, she believes that Moldova has "grown some muscles" to resist Russian influence. She also admitted that a solution for Transnistria was possible in the future, although it would not be a quick one, as Cyprus, for example, had joined the EU with part of its territory occupied.

As reported, Party of Action and Solidarity won 50.03 percent of the votes in Sunday's parliamentary elections, while its main rival, the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, won 24.26 percent, the Central Election Commission said after 99.5 percent of the votes had been counted.

Party of Action and Solidarity will have an absolute majority in Parliament, giving the party the right to form the next government independently.

As reported, election day in Moldova brought a bomb threat that temporarily halted polling stations in several European cities as well as cyber attacks. Promo-Lex, an NGO that monitored the elections, reported more than 300 confirmed incidents a few hours before polls closed, ranging from unauthorized persons at polling stations to people photographing or filming their ballot papers.

Shortly before the polls closed, the police announced that they had detained three people who were planning to cause chaos and disturbances after the elections. Pyrotechnics and flammable materials were found in their possession.