Recean: No Foreign Control of Elections

Moldova will not allow foreign forces to influence its upcoming elections, Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Monday at the regional conference "Money in Politics – Money, Security, and Democracy: Protecting Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age."

Recean emphasized that the 2025 parliamentary elections must be “clean, free, and correctly financed,” warning that otherwise, Moldova risks being “manipulated, bought, and ultimately undermined.”

He said that Moldova’s democracy is not for sale: “Votes are not negotiated by fugitive oligarchs. Moldova will not return to the past. Our parliament must remain the voice of the people—not an instrument of the Kremlin.”

Recean warned of criminal networks and foreign actors exploiting democratic systems through illicit financing, disinformation, and cyberattacks. He revealed that during the last presidential elections and referendum, Moldovan authorities uncovered attempts to sway the vote with illicit money, including efforts by a Russian bank to open over 138,000 accounts to funnel funds to voters—amounting to nearly 1% of Moldova's GDP, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES

He also pointed to ongoing hybrid threats: cryptocurrency-funded intermediaries, AI-driven propaganda, fake pro-European parties secretly backed by Russia, and phantom media operations originating in Moscow.

Despite these challenges, Recean said Moldovan democracy had so far prevailed, but warned: “Foreign interference is extensive, sophisticated, and real—especially dangerous for a small country like ours.”

He concluded with a firm commitment: “We will use all available tools to protect our sovereignty, democracy, and European future. Democracy can be lost not only with tanks, but with euros pumped into fake ads, media platforms, and paid influencers. We will not stand by—we will act.”