How Moldova voted pro-Europe despite Putin's campaign

DW (English)

Geopolitically, Moldova lies between the spheres of influence of the European Union and Russia. Putin invested heavily in a campaign to influence the elections in favor of Russia. But Moldovans have confirmed their support for democracy and Europe.

Transcript

00:00This is one of the front lines of the battle of narratives between Russia and the West.

00:05And these are some of Europe's foot soldiers.

00:09Young Moldovans in Chisinau,

00:11tired of hearing their country described as a poor ex-Soviet state,

00:15and relieved that landmark elections just locked in an updated image

00:19of a Moldova firmly looking toward Europe.

00:22The first reaction that I had, it was,

00:25Oh my God, it's done. I'm so happy that we managed.

00:29So it was like a shoot for Russian propaganda from our country.

00:33Karolina runs a non-profit dedicated to helping Moldova,

00:37a landlocked country tucked between Romania and Ukraine,

00:40to advance its path toward joining the European Union.

00:43These volunteers have taken their message all over this divided nation of 2.4 million,

00:48trying to dispel fears and present facts in places where the idea of the West is less than popular.

00:54We have this narrative that if Moldova will join in the youth,

00:58we'll lose our traditions, religion and culture.

01:01This is why we put Europe, we are coming with pie and wine.

01:06Moldova and pie, yes.

01:07Moldova's pro-Western pass party may have won a parliamentary majority

01:11and relegated the pro-Russian opposition to a distant second.

01:15But the debate on this country's final destination is still a live one,

01:19especially outside the capital, like here on this beetroot farm in southern Moldova.

01:25I'm not really into politics. It all depends on what people say.

01:30There are some here who feel closer to Russia, some closer to Europe.

01:34I'm kind of a neutral party.

01:36A few minutes' drive away, we find others who've made up their mind.

01:43If we move closer to Europe, things will get even worse.

01:46I want to be closer to Russia.

01:49Differences of opinion are par for the course in any democracy.

01:53But this was no ordinary vote.

01:55Hoax bomb threats at polling stations, cyber attacks and schemes to train Moldovans abroad

02:00to stir up political violence.

02:02Just some of the attempts to sway results documented by police and election monitors,

02:07plus covert cash offers for those willing to spread anti-government content online.

02:13In most of the cases, the individual that is receiving the payment

02:16is instructed to do coordinated actions on the platforms.

02:20We're not talking about authentical people criticizing the government,

02:24but rather newly accounts that are being populated with AI-generated content.

02:29You can see that they are propagating the same sentence.

02:32Which says?

02:33Which are saying that PAS is going to bring us poverty.

02:36The fact that we are going to enter in the European Union equals

02:41the fact that they are going to bring the war in Moldova.

02:44Anna has tracked this campaign down to its source.

02:47If we're starting to investigate a little bit how the network is looking,

02:52we can see from the start that most of them are operated from Russia,

02:57operated from Belarus.

02:59Moscow denies involvement in election meddling.

03:02But it is involved in Moldova.

03:04For decades, Russian troops have been stationed in a breakaway region

03:07of Moldovan territory.

03:09And ahead of this year's vote,

03:10Kichenau clamped down hard on suspected foreign interference,

03:14with dozens of arrests and last-minute decisions

03:17to relocate some polling stations over security concerns

03:20and ban two small parties for illegal financing.

03:24That sparked opposition protests.

03:28It also raised eyebrows with election observers

03:30who otherwise commended Moldovan officials for election management.

03:34The pro-EU government said authorities were defending democracy under attack

03:38and warned of bigger threats beyond their borders.

03:41What happened in Moldova over the last few months

03:44and especially over the last few weeks before the elections

03:47could happen in any country, European country.

03:50So we all need to work hard to strengthen the cyber security.

03:55And we need to work together to fight this information.

04:00Despite the elections being over,

04:01activist Carolina isn't taking a break.

04:04We have to continue with door-to-doors.

04:06We have to train, like, young people to be more prepared,

04:09to combat the narratives,

04:11to be able to discuss with other people, even in their families.

04:15She says there's no time to spare.

04:17Moldova wants to be part of the European Union by the end of this decade.

04:21And that's a tall order,

04:23given the intense reforms and political negotiations,

04:26which still lie ahead.

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