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1 1 (November 26, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goverkp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Moldova: An Overview Moldova-like neighboring Ukraine-seeks greater p integration with the West in the face of Russian interference and territorial occupation. In November 2024, Moldovan i President Maia Sandu was reelected on a pro-European C platform despite reportedly substantial Russian election o interference. Parliamentary elections, which could reinforce a or weaken Moldova's pro-European orientation, are due to d be held by July 2025. Moldova became a candidate for la European Union (EU) membership in 2022. s The Biden Administration and the EU have supported a Moldova's efforts to implement EU-related reforms, curtail d Russian influence, and address the impacts ofRussia's war against Ukraine. Moldova's leaders have warned that a F Russian victory in Ukraine could expose Moldova to heightened Russian aggression. Members of Congress may assess U.S. policies to support Moldova's democratic trajectory, as well as U.S. efforts to combat Russian influence in Moldova and the wider region. Po itcaI and Econornic Background Maia Sandu, a former minister of education and prime minister, first won the presidency in 2020 by defeating incumbent Igor Dodon of the Russia-leaning, socially conservative Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM). Moldova's presidency has symbolic importance but relatively limited formal powers. In 2021, Sandu's reform-oriented Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won snap parliamentary elections with 53% of the vote (63 of 101 seats). A PSRM-led coalition placed second with 27% of votes. PAS's victory, and its formation of a single-party government, ended more than a decade of rule by fragile coalitions that included allegedly corrupt political forces. Prime Minister Dorin Recean has s led Moldova's government since February 2023. The PAS government has pledged to strengthen the rule of law and address long-standing concerns about corruption and state capture. Its reform agenda partly centers on nine priorities the EU outlined in 2022 (see below). Moldova held a two-round presidential election on October 20 and November 3, 2024, along with a referendum on a constitutionally enshrining the goal of EU membership. Russia allegedly sought to interfere in both votes (see below). In the first round of the election, President Sandu led with 42% of the vote. In the runoff, she defeated Alexandr Stoianoglo, 55% to 45%. Stoianoglo was backed by the formerly ruling PSRM. Sandu's victory was facilitated by the 83% support she received among voters residing outside of Moldova, who made up about 20% of second-round turnout. The third party to enter parliament in 2021 (with 6% of votes) was the populist, Russia-linked Shor Party, led by Updated November 26, 2024 olitical and business figure Ilan Shor. In 2019, Shor fled Moldova while appealing a seven-year sentence for his role n a $1 billion bank fraud scandal. In April 2023, an appeals ourt sentenced Shor in absentia to 15 years in prison and rdered the confiscation of nearly $300 million of his ssets. In June 2023, Moldova's Constitutional Court issolved the Shor Party for not complying with Moldova's ws and constitution. Shor, who is subject to U.S. and EU anctions, reportedly lives in Russia but remains involved in Moldovan affairs through allied parties and proxies. Shor nd other Russia-connected actors allegedly have sought to estabilize Moldova (see below). Fiure I. Moldova at a Glance ource: Figure created by CRS using the National Bureau of atistics of the Republic of Moldova (does not include Transnistria). ne of Europe's poorest countries, Moldova has made significant progress in reducing poverty and promoting nclusive growth, according to the World Bank. Moldova's gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 5% in 2022 and grew by 2% in 2023. Moldova has faced high inflation and nergy costs, due in part to Russia's war against Ukraine. Moldova provides support for more than 123,000 refugees om Ukraine. An estimated 1 million or more Moldovans ve abroad; remittances are estimated to be equivalent to bout 15% of GDP. Russan nfluence in Moldova fter Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in ebruary 2022, concerns arose that Moscow also would seek to invade Moldova. The near-term threat of a Russian nvasion receded as Ukrainian forces halted Russia's military advance in southern Ukraine, but concerns about future aggression and Russian malign influence persist. Moldovan and U.S. officials have accused Russia of illicitly nancing political parties, interfering in elections, and ubverting democratic institutions in Moldova.

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