http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/world/europe/moldova-parliament-elections.html 2014-12-01 13:41:11 Pro-European Parties Take Lead in Race to Control Moldovan Parliament Shadowed by the violence in neighboring Ukraine, the vote became another fierce contest between the West and Russia for influence in a former Soviet republic. === MOSCOW — Three pro-European political parties appeared to win enough votes in a weekend election to control Shadowed by the continuing violence in neighboring Ukraine, the election in Moldova, one of Europe’s smallest and poorest nations, became another fierce contest between the West and Russia for influence in a former Soviet republic. Moldova, like Ukraine, has moved steadily toward greater political and economic integration with the European Union but has come under severe pressure from Russia to change course. Russia banned the import of Moldovan wine last year, and in recent months, it followed up with bans on apples, meat and other food products — brutal blows to the nation’s economy, which depends heavily on agriculture. Russia already plays a significant role in Moldova because of the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria, which declared independence in 1990 and was the subject of a military conflict in 1992. Russian troops have long been stationed in Transnistria as peacekeeping forces. Senior Russian officials, including a deputy prime minister, Dmitri O. Rogozin, said that the election results were rigged by Moldova’s current, pro-European government. On Wednesday, just four days before the vote, the country’s Central Election Commission barred the participation of another pro-Russian party, Patria, saying it had received illegal foreign financing. Mr. Rogozin, commenting on Twitter, said that pro-Russian parties would have secured control of Parliament if Patria had been allowed on the ballot, and if it had been easier for thousands of Moldovan migrant workers in Russia to vote. According to preliminary results, with more than 89 percent of ballots counted, the pro-Russian Socialist Party was ahead with 21.3 percent, followed by the strongly pro-European Liberal Democratic Party, which is led by Prime Minister Iurie Leanca. The country’s Communist Party, perhaps the most resilient in the former Soviet Union, was in third place, with 18 percent, followed by two other pro-Western parties: the Democratic Party, with 15.8 percent, and the Liberal Party, with 9.4 percent. Taken together, the pro-Western parties had slightly less than 45 percent of the vote, while the pro-Russian parties secured just over 39 percent. Because other parties are not expected to clear the 6 percent threshold to enter Parliament, the pro-Western parties are likely to emerge with a slim, controlling majority. That said, forming a government is expected to be extremely difficult and to entail intense negotiations in the coming weeks. Although the Supreme Court of Justice upheld the ban on Patria in a ruling on Saturday, the late disqualification gave further ammunition to Russian officials who have complained of European meddling aimed at undercutting the Kremlin in the former Soviet Union. Mr. Rogozin, the Russian deputy prime minister, has forcefully conveyed Russia’s view. Last year, on a visit to Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, he noted the country’s reliance on Russian natural gas to heat homes in winter, and warned: “We hope that you will not freeze.” On Monday, he Patria was created by Renato Usatii, a wealthy businessman with strong ties to Russia. Mr. Usatii is president of VPT-NN, a tool-and-die company that is an official supplier to the Russian Railways, the national railroad. Russian Railways is controlled by one of President Vladimir V. Putin’s closest allies. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea this spring, some officials in Transnistria have called for Russia to annex their territory as well, echoing the results of a referendum held in 2006 in which voters overwhelmingly expressed support for joining Russia. Most of the world does not recognize Transnistria, but it maintains its own government and currency. The conflict is the subject of a continuing mediation effort by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In Ukraine, some critics of Russia’s intervention in support of pro-Russian separatists have accused the Kremlin of seeking to create a frozen conflict similar to the decades-long territorial dispute in Transnistria.