Moldovan PM says government to defend integrity of elections, country's European path, to ensure free, fair, transparent elections

Prime Minister Dorin Recean has participated in a regional conference titled, Money in Politics – Money, Security, and Democracy: Defending Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age. The PM discussed the actions of authorities in defending the electoral integrity of Moldova and the challenges related to funding from obscure sources and external interference.

‘’A real democracy is built on clear rules, transparency and citizens’ participation. Clean money, legal donations from people who believe in an idea – this money keeps political parties close to citizens and not to oligarchs or foreign influences,’’ said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

According to the PM, after the parliamentary elections from July 2021, stricter rules were imposed regarding parties’ financing, and a new Electoral Code was adopted. Also, donation caps were reduced and financing from entities with foreign interests was banned. Nevertheless, at the presidential elections from Autumn 2024, law-enforcers documented the opening of over 138,000 accounts by a Russian bank for Moldovan citizens to funnel money to voters and influence the results in favor of an organized crime ring.

‘’We learned the lesson from last year, during the presidential elections and the referendum on the inclusion of the European path in the Constitution. We witnessed how dishonest money can attempt to suppress the citizens' will. Even if the people ultimately chose freely and democracy persevered, these actions taught us that the danger is real,’’ emphasized the prime minister.

PM Dorin Recean noted that the next major test for Moldova was the parliamentary elections due in September. In the context, the Kremlin is testing the limits of institutions by provoking energy crises, continued economic destabilization in the Transnistrian region, cyberattacks on election infrastructure, the creation of phantom parties and the use of artificial intelligence for disinformation.

'Moldova will not allow anyone to dictate our elections from outside. Democracy is not for sale. The vote is not negotiable by fugitive oligarchs. Moldova will not revert to the past, and the parliament of Moldova must remain the voice of our people, not become an instrument of the Kremlin,’’ said the prime minister.

In achieving these goals, the country will be supported by partners from the European Union, international institutions and civil society: ‘’We have an absolutely clear target: Moldova – part of the European Union. Our path to the European Union involves standards, rules and integrity. And we are determined to rise to these expectations – the expectations of the citizens of Moldova.’’