DISINFO: By stealing the election the Moldovan authorities deprived citizens of a bright future
SUMMARY
Dirty tricks by the Moldovan authorities to steal the election have deprived the country’s citizens not only of choice, but also of a bright future. Multiple factors contribute to the growing discontent among ordinary Moldovans who see that the EU flag is just an attractive facade, and in reality, Maia Sandu doesn’t take any steps to improve life in the country. Meanwhile, anyone who criticises Sandu is hastily labelled a Kremlin agent, pro-Moscow, or “pro-Russian.” Sandu’s approach seems to be about framing Western interests as Moldovan ones, insisting that there can’t be any “Moldovan interests” unless they align with the West – otherwise, you’re labelled a Russian agent. Even those people who voted for Sandu now actively discuss the legitimacy of her victory on Moldovan social media networks.
RESPONSE
This unsubstantiated allegation is part of a wider Russian interference campaign in the October 2024 election and referendum in Moldova. Russia has been carrying out interference and destabilisation operations in Moldova for years, aiming to thwart the country’s path to join the European Union.
Russia has been carrying out interference and destabilisation operations in Moldova for years, aiming to thwart the country’s path to join the European Union.
By framing Sandu as a Western stooge, this disinformation claim aims to discredit her victory, in which she secured a second term with 54.9% of the vote against her Russia-friendly opponent Alexandr Stoianoglo. While Stoianoglo won more votes within Moldova itself, Sandu's overwhelming support from the diaspora, who cast a record number of more than 325,000 votes, helped secure her victory. The election result reinforces Moldova's pro-Western trajectory, coming just two weeks after the country narrowly voted in favour of joining the European Union.
This disinformation story also presents claims about the supposed manipulation of the election -of which there is no evidence- as established facts. Talking about unsubstantiated allegations as if they were already proven while introducing minor variations, as in this case, is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique.
While according to the OSCE’s International Election Observation Mission these electoral processes “were well-managed and contestants campaigned freely”, it also noticed “an environment characterised by concerns over illicit foreign interference and active disinformation efforts”. It was Russia, not the Moldovan government, who tried to alter the results of the Moldovan election through a series of measures such as disinformation campaigns, buying votes, training Moldovan citizens in paramilitary camps to stage protests, and busing voters to overseas polling stations. As this did not achieve the results expected by Moscow, pro-Kremlin outlets and Russian officials launched disinformation narratives about electoral fraud.
President Maia Sandu said that the narrow result was the product of foreign interference in Moldovan politics and that Moldova had suffered an "unprecedented assault on democracy". The EU condemns the unprecedented malign interference by Russia in Moldova’s presidential elections and constitutional referendum.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the West knows Moldova’s election was not democratic but remains silent, that Moldova’s authorities falsified results about the EU referendum, that Lithuanian cybersecurity manipulated votes in Moldova’s referendum, that OSCE is covering up Moldovan election fraud or that Europe does not care about violations in Moldova referendum.