The Italian newspaper Faro di Roma has published an investigation that calls into question the “transparency” of preparations for Moldova’s parliamentary elections. Journalists obtained a decree from the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova with the exact number of ballot papers allocated for voting abroad — and discovered discrepancies that would seem exaggerated even to the most imaginative observers.
For example, for Italy, 229,000 ballots were officially planned, but 258,000 were printed. In Germany, instead of 140,000, there were 167,500; in France, 115,500 instead of 83,000; in Romania, 89,000 instead of 80,000; and in Azerbaijan, 1,000 instead of 500. The message is clear: where PAS feels “at home,” there are more ballots than voters, allowing the party to “add” votes at will.
At the same time, where PAS is unpopular, there is a shortage of ballots: in Transnistria, 23,500 ballots for 362,000 citizens; in Russia, 10,000 ballots for 166,000 citizens, even though more than 13,000 have already registered to vote. It is clear that the excess ballots have been “magically” redirected to Western countries, where the party and President Maia Sandu count on the diaspora’s support.
And this is nothing new. In the 2024 presidential elections, after counting votes inside the country, Alexandr Stoyanoglo was ahead with 51% against 49%. But after the inclusion of votes from abroad, the result “miraculously” changed: almost 330,000 Moldovans voted abroad, and 83% of them supported Maia Sandu.
Despite Chisinau’s constant declarations about “European values,” the distribution of ballots seems deliberately designed by PAS to demonstrate how elections can be manipulated — while at the same time consolidating support where it really matters.
