MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. Moldova is likely to embark on a pro-Western foreign policy following Sunday’s snap parliamentary polls, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Monday.

"Most likely, Moldova will see quite a serious pro-Western tilt in its foreign policy, with its degree depending on the final layout in the parliament and the consolidation of the leftist opposition," Konstantin Kosachev, a deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, or upper parliament house, wrote on his Facebook account.

"Other factors, such as business, church, development in neighboring countries, may play a role as well. The worst scenario will be an attempt to force events in respect of Transnistria, which is seen as an obstacle on Moldova’s path to Euro-Atlantic structures," he noted, adding that provocations ahead of the elections demonstrated that radicals were ready for such a scenario.

Bearing this in mind, the results of Moldova’s elections "are rather alarming," he noted. "Obviously, society is divided, so any attempts of the conditional majority to impose its tough will on the conditional minority are unlikely to soothe people and generate a unifying agenda for the entire society. The only thing I can say is that we hope that Moldova’s leaders use common sense and, on our part, we are ready for dialogue on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations."

He recalled that the Action and Solidarity Party that won the majority of votes at Sunday’s elections sees it as its priority to intensify the process of integration into the European Union, to strengthen the strategic partnership with the United States and Romania, and to implement projects with Ukraine and Georgia.

"The foreign factor has played a decisive role, in two senses. Over the past 30 years, nearly a third of the employable populations - around one million people - have left the republic. This time, more than 200,000 voters came to polling stations abroad. In 2020, around 92% of such people voted for pro-Western Maia Sandu and it was a key factor at the presidential elections. Everything indicates that the situation will recur this time," Kosachev wrote.

Apart from that, he pointed to the fact that more polling stations were opened for Moldovans living in the West than for residents of the unrecognized Transnistria (150 versus 41). "Moreover, Western politicians and diplomats are playing a huge role in the political process in Moldova, not only Romanian and EU officials but also the American ambassador, who regularly appears on television, meets with politicians, officials, judges of the of the Constitutional Court and members of the election commission," he added.

Preliminary results of Sunday’s early parliamentary polls

According to preliminary data from Moldova’s Central Election Commission, two parties and one electoral bloc are winning seats in the parliament. The presidential Action and Solidarity Party won 52% of votes, the Electoral Bloc of Communists and Socialists scored 27.2%, and the Sor Party - 5.7% Other parties failed to win enough votes to get it into the national legislature.

The voting results are to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court. The parliament is elected for a term of four years.