Moldova's pro-European ruling party won a resounding victory over its Russian-leaning rival in a key parliamentary election, results showed on Monday, in what is being interpreted as a major boost for the country's bid to join the EU.

The surprisingly strong performance on Sunday by President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) against the Patriotic Bloc was a relief for the government and its European partners.

With nearly all votes counted, PAS had won 50.2 percent versus 24.2 percent for the Patriotic Bloc, which had sought to steer Moldova – a small former Soviet republic wedged between Ukraine and EU member Romania – closer to Russia.

Some polls leading up to the election put PAS and Patriotic Bloc neck-and-neck with neither likely to get a majority. The near-final tally by Moldova's electoral commission allows the government to push for its goal of EU membership by 2030.

Claims of electoral interference

Sandu's government said Russia had attempted to sway the vote through widespread disinformation and vote-buying.

Stanislav Secrieru, Sandu's national security adviser, said election infrastructure and government websites had come under cyber attack, and that fake bomb threats were called in to polling stations in Moldova and abroad.

Russia has denied any interference in Moldova's election. By contrast, the Kremlin said Moldovan authorities had prevented hundreds of thousands of Russian-based Moldovans from voting, by providing only two polling stations in the country.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moldovans living in Russia, who are traditionally more likely to vote for pro-Russian political forces at home, had been unable to cast their vote.

"Hundreds of thousands of Moldovans were deprived of the opportunity to vote in the Russian Federation due to the fact that only two polling stations were open to them," said Peskov.

Asked whether Moscow recognised the results, Peskov noted that some political forces in Moldova had spoken of violations.

"First, Moldovans themselves should probably sort this out. As far as we know, some political forces are declaring their disagreement. They're talking about possible election violations," he said.

Around 500,000 Moldovan citizens live in Russia, Russian government officials say. Most large European countries, where fewer Moldovans live than in Russia, had more than two polling stations available for voters on Sunday.

Just over 4,000 votes were cast in Russia, according to the Moldovan authorities, around two-thirds of which were for the main pro-Russian bloc. By contrast, Moldovan citizens living in Germany cast more than 38,000 votes at 36 different polling stations, most of them in support of the ruling party.

On Sunday, Patriotic Bloc co-leader Igor Dodon, a former Moldovan president, called for protests the next day in front of parliament, claiming that Sandu was planning to annul the vote. He did not provide evidence.

Authorities, which had also warned of Russian-backed attempts to stir unrest after the vote, will watch closely to see if Dodon follows through on the threat, and what crowds he can command if he does.

Strong support for EU membership

Several European leaders rejoiced in the results.

"The people of Moldova have spoken and their message is loud and clear," Antonio Costa, president of the European Council which represents the EU's 27 member states, said on X.

"They chose democracy, reform, and a European future, in the face of pressure and interference from Russia," he added. Moscow has denied any interference.

In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Germany and Poland congratulated Moldova "for the peaceful conduct of the election, despite unprecedented interference by Russia, including with vote-buying schemes and disinformation".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also hailed Sunday's election result, saying Moscow had failed to "destabilize" Moldova.

Tugged east and west

Moldova – with a population of 2.4 million people that has been buffeted by the conflict in neighboring Ukraine – has long vacillated between Russia and Europe.

The Patriotic Bloc and other opposition groups had sought to tap into voter anger over economic pain and the slow pace of reforms – grievances worsened by what officials say has been widespread disinformation.

Inflation remains stubbornly high at around 7 percent, while Moldovans also shoulder higher costs for imported energy.

Meeting the EU's tough membership criteria will be very difficult for Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries.

Anastasia Pociumban of the German Council on Foreign Relations called Sunday's election a vote of confidence in PAS and its EU plans but said the party faced a big challenge in "bridging the divides" in the country and better communicating the benefits of EU accession to more sceptical Moldovans.