Pro-Russian political forces are unlikely to win Moldova's presidential election or derail a constitutional referendum on EU membership, but the future of the country's European integration will remain in question until next year's high-stakes parliamentary election. On Oct. 1, revelations emerged that the pro-Russian Socialist Party's presidential candidate, Alexandr Stoianoglo, has dual citizenship with neighboring Romania, an EU member. Media aligned with President Maya Sandu and her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) framed this as hypocritical, given Stoianoglo's previous attacks on PAS for its pro-Romanian and pro-EU stances. The revelations also upset some of Stoianoglo's supporters, who are wary of deepening Moldova's ties with Romania and the broader European Union. While Stoianoglo downplayed his Romanian citizenship, it may weaken Eurosceptics' position in the Oct. 20 constitutional referendum, which proposes adding mention of Moldova's course toward EU membership to the country's constitution. The controversy also risks harming Stoianoglo's own...
