Ruling party’s victory in Moldova was secured through coercive pressure and mobilization of diaspora – Dmitry Kiseyev

Moldovan political analyst Dmitry Kiseyev spoke to Alpha News about the methods used by the ruling party in Moldova to achieve election victory and how this will impact the situation in the region.

“The result was achieved primarily through the mobilization of the security forces, the entire administrative apparatus, and the diaspora, as well as, of course, through manipulation of fears of war and so on. First, the security forces worked to eliminate certain parties with good chances of winning. Before the elections, mass searches and arrests were carried out, along with intimidation of the population with horror stories about war in the event of the arrival of pro-Russian forces. On election day, bridges across the Dniester were blocked to prevent Transnistrians from voting. Some polling stations where Transnistrians voted were allegedly mined. Plus, of course, the mobilization of the diaspora: 270,000 votes from abroad significantly altered the overall balance. All of this combined allowed the ruling party to secure a majority in the future parliament,” the expert said.

According to him, the key challenge for the authorities was to keep Moldova in a geopolitical sphere favorable to their allies.

“Their primary concern was that Moldova not be left out of this context, as it is an area for military supplies moving to Ukraine. This was also of particular importance for Romania: the friendship between the presidents and pro-government elites allowed Moldova to be drawn into all these games. Thus, the so-called ‘Odesa Triangle’ was formed—Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. It was important to maintain these formats to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons, supplies, and so on,” Kiseyev emphasized.