Moldova votes at a crossroads: between Europe and old allegiances

Ungheni, a town perched on the Prut River a stone’s throw from Romania, feels unusually calm just days before Moldova’s parliamentary elections on 28 September. A steady drizzle covers the city in grey, as if masking the weight of a choice that could define the country’s trajectory for decades. EUalive’s partner PressOne.ro tells the story.

This is the same Ungheni that has received some of the most generous EU funding in recent years. A renovated city centre, EU-financed infrastructure and campaign posters side by side on its streets reflect two worlds colliding: one of pragmatic investment, and one of political slogans dividing citizens into “ours” and “yours”.

At last year’s referendum on EU accession, Ungheni voted “No”. Expectations are now high, and perhaps excessive, for this region where Europe is just across the bridge but remains contested at heart.

Between slogans and realities

Natalia Morari, a local journalist covering politics in Ungheni for over a decade, says the campaign has been strikingly calm on the ground. Candidates have met voters, discussions have been polite, and people seem more focused on programmes than slogans.

“But online it’s a battlefield,” she told PressOne, describing how the campaign has polarised into rigid camps.

Morari stresses that EU membership is no instant fix: “In the Union itself, reforms took years. People here need to understand that accession will not make life better overnight.” She points to visible progress over the last decade – better roads, improved schools, rising salaries in some sectors – but also recognises the gaps that remain.

Religion has also surfaced in campaign debates, often through claims that Brussels seeks to impose “LGBT values”. Father Anatol Pantelimon Sîrghi, a priest in nearby Costuleni, dismisses this as propaganda. “God gave man freedom of conscience. These are values we share with the West,” he said, adding that younger parishioners in particular lean towards Europe after experiencing life abroad.

He insists the Church should not interfere in politics, though he expects from the next parliament “justice and stability” while reminding citizens that “the rest depends on us”.

EU funds and local governance

EU investment is tangible in Ungheni. The school in Costuleni was modernised, a sports field built, and new urban planning is underway — all with European money. Mayor Andrei Rudicov calls the EU Moldova’s “main partner”, noting that the outcome of this vote will shape the future of infrastructure, education and the economy.

But only a few kilometres away, in Măcărești, former mayor Alexandru Șișcanu describes a darker climate: fear, personal attacks, and loss of trust. He supports a pro-European course but also wants relations with Russia restored.

Pro-Russian voices grow louder

For many, economic hardship weighs heavier than geopolitics. Vladimir Popovici, a doctor, hopes the Patriotic Bloc – uniting Communists, Socialists and new parties, will triumph. “I want Moldova to benefit from all sides,” he says, rejecting the pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity PAS government of president Maia Sandu.

Young activist Tudor Șoilița has amplified this message online, amassing hundreds of thousands of views with anti-EU videos. He calls PAS “a dictatorship” and blames it for inflation, debt, and curbs on media. To him, the EU agenda threatens not just the economy but also traditional religious and social values.

On 28 September, Moldovans will not only elect a new parliament but also reveal how deeply the country remains tied to Europe – or whether nostalgia for the East still prevails.

Ungheni, where EU-funded projects reshape the city yet voters remain divided, embodies the country’s paradox. Europe is across the bridge, visible in daily life, yet still held at arm’s length in the nation’s heart.

The full article in Romanian can be found here.

Caption: Independence Square in Ungheni, renovated under the European project “EU4Moldova: Key Regions” PHOTO: Alina Zibrițchi