Fighting off Russia’ hybrid attacks, Moldova needs a good relationship with Romania. However, several presidential candidates have promoted a sovereignist, even pro-Russian discourse, and one of them was declared persona non grata in the Republic of Moldova.
George Simion, the polls’ favorite, is persona non grata in Moldova, where he is accused of nurturing ties with Russia
The Republic of Moldova is relying on a good relationship with Romania, given that it is the target of a hybrid war waged by Russia, which president Maia Sandu recently said has intensified. Moldova is also coping with the economic pressure generated by the war in Ukraine, its energy market being particularly affected. Since the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence, Romania has constantly supported its neighbor, and Bucharest's contributions and investments have grown over the years, as have bilateral economic ties between the two states. Romania has often been the first external partner that Moldova turned to in times of crisis, whether these were in the energy sector, as recent years have shown, or natural disasters, such as the 2010 floods. In addition, the border with Romania is also Moldova's border with the European Union.
Nevertheless, the result of the presidential election might affect the bilateral relationship, considering that George Simion, the candidate the polls view as favorite to reach the second round, is banned from entering Moldova. Moldova’s former Minister of Defense, Anatol Șalaru, accused George Simion of being connected to Russian intelligence services. The latter eventually lost the slander lawsuit he filed against the former. Moreover, the leader of Aur, who, at the start of his political career, promoted the unification between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, said he would not support the neighboring country in the event of a Russian attack.
Two weeks ago, George Simion also said he would cut all funds for the Republic of Moldova, although he is relying on the votes of the unionist electorate, which is somewhat greater than the score that self-proclaimed unionist parties obtained in elections in the Republic of Moldova. These parties have become irrelevant on the political scene in Chișinău, although a poll conducted last fall shows that 36% of Moldovans are in favor of unification with Romania.
Moldovan voters are increasingly interested in the election in Romania, favoring pro-European parties to the detriment of sovereignists
Last year, on December 1, in the middle of the day, I was in Ungheni, at one of the 59 polling stations opened in the Republic of Moldova for the parliamentary election. I was there with a friend who wanted to vote. The crowd was quite large, so he had to wait about half an hour until he finally was able to vote. The polling station was venued in a high school in the city center which, as the sign out front read, had been renovated with European funds. You can see such signs all over the place in Ungheni, a city that has a more “Western” air than others in Moldova.
Approximately one million citizens of the Republic of Moldova are also citizens of Romania and can vote this weekend to elect the future president. Only a fraction of Moldovans who hold the Romanian citizenship vote in Moldova, but we are still talking about tens of thousands of people whose votes could be pivotal in the final outcome. The turnout in previous elections suggests that Moldovans with dual citizenship are increasingly interested in developments in Romania.
Last year, Moldovan citizens with Romanian citizenship had to hit the polls quite a lot, more often than any other election year. The first turnout record was broken in the European Parliament election (by almost 20,000 people more compared to the 2019 European Parliament election). The turnout increased even more in the first round of the presidential election in November, where almost twice as many citizens voted compared to 2019 (from approximately 43,000 in 2019 to almost 81,000 in 2024). The record was broken again in the parliamentary election.
These numbers, as well as the long queues in front of polling stations, are telling of the growing interest for Romanian politics among Moldovan citizens. This interest seems to be driven by the Russian bear breathing down our necks, as well as people’s need to once again affirm their desire to follow a European path. In fact, the results show a clear option for pro-European parties (AUR obtained only 6%) the favorites being, by far, parties perceived as reformist, i.e. USR, voted by nearly 62% of the voters in the Republic of Moldova (it is unclear what Moldovans with Romanian citizenship living in other countries voted for, or how many of them took part in the election).
From sovereignists to pro-Europeans, the candidates are fighting over the votes of Moldovans. Sovereignists, courted by pro-Russian influencers
Romanian politicians have long had the Republic of Moldova in their crosshairs during election campaigns, and the Moldovans’ growing interest for the electoral process in Romania has also led to an increase in the interest shown by journalists and influencers across the Prut.
This was also transparent in the current election cycle. First, we saw Călin Georgescu in March, before his candidacy was rejected, being featured on the podcast of Natalia Morari, a controversial journalist in the Moldovan public space, after her relationship with the fugitive oligarch Veaceslav Platon came to light and she entered politics expressing pro-Russian views. Then, Victor Ponta was interviewed on the podcast of another controversial journalist, Gheorghe Gonța, who more recently has been reiterating Russian narratives and has been associated with pro-Russian politicians. Nicușor Dan appeared on the podcast of content creator Dorin Galben and in a show on TV8. Crin Antonescu, who is officially supported by PAS, the ruling party in Moldova, also appeared on Dorin Galben’s podcast.
“Politics concerns us all, and although it seems to us that politics in Moldova has no connection with that in Romania, it is a totally false impression. We are connected, we directly choose our strategic partners, and we also vote for the good of Moldova when we elect someone competent to lead Romania”, says Cătălin Lungu, an actor and influencer, followed by hundreds of thousands of people on social media. Cătălin often gets involved in political topics and promotes content by means of which he refutes false narratives circulated in public space in Moldova. At the end of last year, he urged people with Romanian citizenship to vote.
On a similar note, content creator Beatrice Mustea argues that “it’s not just about going out to vote, but also about learning more about the candidate you are going to vote for, because that candidate can directly influence certain rights that you already have. Romania’s withdrawal from the EU, for instance, is a topic that directly affects you, once you have a Romanian passport or ID card, even if you live in the Republic of Moldova”. Beatrice has tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram and addresses a diverse range of topics, including civic issues and politics. Among other things, she has urged people to vote in both the Moldovan and Romanian elections, she explained how the billion-dollar fraud in the Moldovan banking system was operated and has spoken out countless times on topics related to feminism, abuse, and harassment.
Romanian politicians crave the Moldovans’ votes, but are not very willing to help them
After the first debate of candidates for the Romanian presidency, the well-known journalist Vitalie Călugăreanu noted that they conveyed no messages for either the Romanian diaspora or the Moldovan population. Indeed, although they’re asking Romanians in the Republic of Moldova to vote for them, the Romanian candidates devote too little time to them in their speeches and campaigns, beyond the occasional interview with a podcast producer, a typical call-to-action on TikTok or a fleeting response during a debate. Moreover, the aspiring presidents of Romania do not seem very confident that, if necessary, they must help the Republic of Moldova, and in some cases (as we saw with George Simion) they explicitly speak out in favor of reducing support for Moldova.
At the final presidential debate, aired by Antena 3 CNN, in which sovereignists George Simion and Victor Ponta refused to take part, talks reached the point where candidates were asked how they would respond to a Russian attack on the Republic of Moldova. Elena Lasconi said she would send troops to the border with the Republic of Moldova and that she would call for consultations with NATO to deliver materials. Nicușor Dan emphasized that it is important how the conflict in Ukraine ends and that it is necessary that talks for security guarantees for Ukraine also provide for security guarantees for the Republic of Moldova. On the other hand, the candidate officially supported by the pro-Europeans in Chișinău, Crin Antonescu, said that he would help in any way possible, except military support. Cristian Terheș advanced a similar hypothesis, namely that the only thing that needs to be done is to open the borders for refugees.
“I think it’s important to get involved in politics, because politics involves all of us, each and every one of us”.
Not only do candidates for the Romanian presidency seem to ignore specific problems facing the Moldovan electorate, but they also make no effort to inform Moldovans about Romanian politics. I also discussed this issue with content creators, about how informed they think the people around them are with regard to political developments in Romania. Vlaicu Bunduchi, the producer and host of Miau Podcast, argues that this vote is everyone’s responsibility, but at the same time, he says: “I believe it is the state’s responsibility to provide all the necessary levers for citizens to be properly informed: not to create propaganda, not to forcibly close certain sources of information. However, it is up to each individual to decide whether or not that information is truthful. The state cannot force someone to seek out information, but it can, and it should, offer as many alternatives as possible”.
Cătălin Lungu seems to share this view, arguing that "propaganda is very dangerous today. There are citizens who have lived their whole lives in Moldova and are still not sufficiently informed about politics here, that does not mean that we should not be concerned about it”. He also adds that he tries to use his public exposure to help people choose their sources of information.
Referring to the responsibility she feels she has for the creation of an online community, Beatrice Mustea says that “it seems to me that, just like in the case of the Romanian citizenship (which comes with certain rights, but also with obligations), the same goes for communities created online: you also have responsibilities there. And then, when certain candidates launch fake news online, it seems normal and important to me to inform my community about the things that I know or that I have researched. It is important to me to get involved in politics, because politics involves all of us, each and every one of us”.
Vlaicu Bunduchi believes that any content creator or public figure, especially when they have a large number of followers, must, first of all be responsible for the information they transmit, regardless of their political convictions. On the other hand, Cătălin Lungu says the media landscape in Moldova is still very wild, content creators are free to do virtually whatever they want. “I like it, I’m passionate about it, I’m interested in it, that’s why I feel the need to talk about the election. If I were to imagine a perfect world, yes, public figures should inform themselves and speak out, because everything we see around us is related to politics, we create politics. It’s called democracy”, Cătălin argues.
Democracy is also about the right to choose, no matter which bank of the Prut you’re living on. So, we asked the three content creators how much they identify with the campaign themes in Romania and how they chose the candidate or party they support. All three said that it is important to know the long-term vision of each candidate. Moreover, Cătălin Lungu also alluded to the gibberish promoted by former candidate Călin Georgescu: “It is important [for people] to know that the Earth is not flat, that water is vital and that we need oxygen to be able to breathe. Of course, I look at what they want to do next (their agenda), whether they want us to unite with aliens or want us to focus on real issues”.
