Hackers targeted Moldova’s electoral commission website and government systems, forcing authorities to take thousands of sites offline.
Cyberattacks disrupt elections
On election day, Moldovan hackers launched over 16 million distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and attempted to breach sensitive databases and election software.
Moldova’s Central Election Commission and government cloud services were among the targets, with over 4,000 websites temporarily disabled.
Russia suspected in destabilization efforts
While the origin of the attacks remains unclear, Moldova has long faced Russian-funded hybrid warfare aimed at destabilizing its democratic processes.
Low voter turnout raises concerns
Initial turnout data shows lower voter engagement compared to four years ago, with 14% of eligible voters casting ballots by 11 AM, down from 18% in the previous election.
Moldovans are choosing between continuing European integration or aligning with Moscow, with some voters citing freedom and peace as key motivations.
Election monitoring reports irregularities
The Pro-Lex association documented 90 incidents, including violations of voting secrecy and organized transport of voters from Transnistria.
Despite these issues, most polling stations operated smoothly.
