Prime Minister Dorin Recean has firmly stated that Moldova will not permit any foreign actor to interfere in its elections, vowing to use all available tools to protect the country’s sovereignty, democracy, and European future.
The Prime Minister made these remarks during the regional conference “Money in Politics – Money, Security, and Democracy: Protecting Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age”, held today.
“The Moldovan Parliament must remain the voice of our people, not become an instrument of the Kremlin,” Recean declared.
He stressed that the parliamentary elections scheduled for next autumn must be clean, free, and transparently financed.
“Otherwise, we expose ourselves to the risk of being manipulated, bought, and ultimately undermined,” he warned.
Dark Money and Foreign Influence
Recean criticized the long-standing practice of political parties receiving funding from obscure sources, including cash “in bags,” and pointed to external criminal networks seeking to manipulate Moldovan democracy.
“Malign foreign actors continue to exploit the very laws that protect our democratic process. And they expect us to judge them by the Electoral Code or Audiovisual Code instead of the Criminal Code,” he said.
Reflecting on past events, Recean recalled the presidential elections and constitutional referendum of the previous year, where law enforcement uncovered attempts to subvert the democratic process.
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“Organized crime groups spent nearly 1% of Moldova’s GDP to influence the vote. For a large EU country, that would be equivalent to €3 billion,” he revealed.
“A Russian bank opened over 138,000 accounts for Moldovan citizens to funnel money into vote-buying schemes in favor of a criminal organization.”
Despite these efforts, Moldovans ultimately voted freely, but Recean warned that the danger remains real.
New Threats on the Horizon
Looking ahead to the 2025 parliamentary elections, the Prime Minister outlined a series of emerging threats, including:
- Foreign funding through cryptocurrency networks
- Cyberattacks targeting the electoral infrastructure
- Disinformation campaigns using artificial intelligence
- Creation of phantom political parties with hidden Russian financing, posing as pro-European, to fragment the vote
“These parties force a pro-Kremlin majority in Parliament while pretending to support Moldova’s European path,” Recean cautioned.
He also pointed to broader destabilization efforts, such as engineered energy crises and continued economic manipulation in Transnistria.
Defending Democracy
Recean pledged that Moldova would act decisively.
“We will not allow anyone to direct our elections from abroad. We will use every available tool to defend our sovereignty, protect free elections, and secure our European future.”
“We must have the courage to defend the vote. Democracy isn’t lost only through tanks—it can also be bought with millions of euros, anonymous ads, pocket media funded from Moscow, paid influencers, and silence that has a price.”
The Prime Minister concluded by reaffirming Moldova’s strategic objective:
“Our goal is clear: Moldova as part of the European Union. This path demands standards, rules, and integrity—and we are determined to meet the expectations of our people.”