Moldovan election body endorses poll participants ahead of independence fete

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CHISINAU (Reuters) -Electoral authorities in Moldova closed registration on Tuesday for next month’s parliamentary election focused on gauging how well public support has held up for President Maia Sandu’s drive for the ex-Soviet state to join the European Union by 2030.

The Central Election Commission issued a list of 21 authorised participants in the September 28 poll on the eve of Moldova’s independence Day celebrations, with three European leaders due to attend and endorse Sandu’s pro-European drive.

Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity now holds 61 seats in the 101-member assembly. But according to an opinion poll published last week, it is likely to win no more than 41 seats in next month’s poll.

Sandu, a fierce critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, told a reception on Monday evening ahead of the holiday that Moldova’s path to EU membership was “irreversible”.

“We are moving decisively towards becoming a member state by the end of the decade,” she said. “We have the historic chance to become part of the safest and most prosperous space of peace, freedom and justice.”

Scheduled to join Sandu at Wednesday’s celebrations are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Among the 21 groups registered by the Election Commission are two blocs with broad support. The Patriotic Bloc, including Socialists and Communists who want closer ties with Russia, is projected to win 36 seats, while the Alternative Bloc, accused by the government of concealing a pro-Kremlin bias, is projected to win 13 seats.

One of the leaders of Alternative, former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo, wrote on Telegram on Tuesday that the West would soon lose interest in Moldova once the war in neighbouring Ukraine has ended.

Sandu won reelection last year over Stoianoglo by a 10-point margin, but had to rely heavily on the votes of Moldovans living and working outside the country. A referendum endorsing her EU membership campaign cleared 50% by a narrow margin.

Sandu has warned of attempts by Russia to influence the poll, last week saying that Moscow intended to funnel some $100 million into the country in cryptocurrency alone to help pro-Russian political forces.

An openly pro-Russian bloc overseen by a fugitive Moldovan business magnate has been banned from taking part in the poll.

(Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Bill Berkrot)