Moldova 2024 Presidential Election & EU Referendum
October 20, 2024 – November 3, 2024
Observers assessed the vote as well managed and it returned pro-EU incumbent Maia Sandu, even as a documented Russia-linked vote-buying and disinformation campaign — attributed to the Shor network — operated around it. Interference in the environment is separate from the integrity of the count.
Official results
The Integrity Ledger
What the evidence establishes, and what it does not — side by side, each finding sourced and tiered.
What is established
- Foreign interferenceConfirmed
A Russia-origin vote-buying operation run through the Shor network moved money to voters via the sanctioned Russian bank Promsvyazbank; it was documented by Moldovan police, DFRLab and Meta and matched by a U.S. sanctions designation.
- Information operationsCorroborated
Coordinated disinformation accompanied the vote: Meta removed a network of fake Russian-language news brands, and forged letters impersonating EU and Moldovan bodies circulated.
What is not established
- Result falsificationDebunked
That the count or certified results were falsified — not established. ODIHR assessed the administration as professional and impartial and the EU endorsed the results.
- Foreign interferenceAlleged
Direct Kremlin command-and-control of the operations is not conclusively established; DFRLab characterised the activity as pro-Russian, and the U.S. framed intelligence coordination as likely rather than proven.
- Process violationsAlleged
That vote-buying determined the outcome — not established. No authoritative finding quantifies how many votes were actually cast as a result of payments.
Sources:1
Process assessment
ODIHR concluded both presidential rounds and the referendum were well managed and that contestants campaigned freely despite illicit foreign interference and active disinformation efforts, and assessed the election administration as professional and impartial.