BRUSSELS: Victory for Moldova’s ruling pro-EU party at key parliamentary elections was a “loud and clear” message from voters despite Russian meddling, European Union chief Antonio Costa said on Monday.
“The people of Moldova have spoken and their message is loud and clear. They chose democracy, reform and a European future, in the face of pressure and interference from Russia,” European Council head Costa wrote on X.
“The EU stands with Moldova. Every step of the way.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the Moldovan people and said: “No attempt to sow fear or division could break your resolve.”
“You made your choice clear: Europe. Democracy. Freedom. Our door is open. And we will stand with you every step of the way. The future is yours,” she wrote on X.
Moldova’s ruling pro-EU party won parliamentary elections with the backing of more than half of voters, according to near-complete results on Monday.
The polls were overshadowed by accusations of Russian interference in the former Soviet republic.
The small EU candidate nation, which borders Ukraine and has a pro-Russia breakaway region, has long been divided over whether to move closer with Brussels or maintain Soviet-era relations with Moscow.
Sunday’s elections were seen as crucial for the country to maintain its push toward EU integration, launched after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
EU hails Moldova’s ‘European’ choice despite Russian ‘pressure’
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EU hails Moldova’s ‘European’ choice despite Russian ‘pressure’
- Moldova’s ruling pro-EU party won parliamentary elections with the backing of more than half of voters, according to near complete results on Monday
- The polls were overshadowed by accusations of Russian interference in the former Soviet republic
Small boat migrant crossings resume in English Channel
- Before the weekend, no vessels had reached the southern English coast for 28 days,
- Migrants last arrived on the south coast from northern France on November 14
LONDON: Migrants resumed attempts to cross the English Channel on Saturday, four weeks after the last small boat arrived.
The pause — believed to be due to poor weather conditions — is the longest in seven years.
Before the weekend, no vessels had reached the southern English coast for 28 days, according to interior ministry figures.
Migrants last arrived on the south coast from northern France on November 14.
Figures for how many arrived on Saturday, when a number of small boats were seen in the Channel, according to the PA news agency, will be released later.
The number of migrants taking the perilous route to the UK has become a major political issue in Britain.
The crossings are helping fuel the popularity of Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, which has led Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party by double-digit margins in opinion polls for most of this year.
This year looks likely to see the second highest annual number of migrants arriving in small boats since data was first reported in 2018.
More than 39,000 people, many fleeing conflict, have arrived on small boats this year — more than for the whole of 2024 but lower than the record of 45,774 arrivals set in 2022, when the Conservatives were in power.
