Moldova's parliamentary elections have great significance for whether the country will continue to turn towards Europe and the EU under President Maia Sandu's leadership – or if pro-Russian movements will succeed in gaining a majority in the parliament in the capital Chisinau.
The polling stations opened at dawn, and the formal voting ends at 8 pm Swedish time – 9 pm local time in Moldova.
No immediate exit polls are expected, among other things, since a significant number of Moldovans are in EU countries and in the USA. A significant majority of postal votes have previously been for Western-oriented parties in Moldova.
"Safe places"
In the breakaway republic of Transnistria, residents have been able to go to polling stations at "safe places" in Moldova to cast their votes, according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Furthermore, negotiations are expected to drag on as several small parties and political blocs seem to be near the established limits for gaining seats in parliament.
According to the country's election commission, 1.5 million inhabitants had cast their votes when one hour remained before the polling stations closed. This corresponds to just over 50 percent of those eligible to vote. About 250,000 eligible voters are estimated to have voted from their home countries abroad.
Russian influence
The election campaign has been affected by both domestic and pro-Russian pressures and influence campaigns of Russian origin.
Russia poses a threat to our democracy. Our democracy is young and fragile, said President Maia Sandu when she cast her vote:
Today, in our country, democracy is in the hands of Moldovans. Only they can save the Republic of Moldova.
