#GuardianNews　 ‘Russia has failed:’ Moldova’s election result bolsters move towards EU

With more than 99.9% of ballots counted, President Maia Sandu’s Action and Solidarity (PAS) party had 50.03% of the vote, putting it on track to win 55 of the 101 seats in parliament.

That compared with 24.26% for a Moscow-leaning alliance of Soviet-nostalgic parties led by the former president Igor Dodon, according to results published by the election commission.

The result marks a significant victory for Sandu, who has staked her presidency on a pro-European course and accused Russia of deploying underhand tactics to sway voters in the impoverished country of 2.4 million people bordering Ukraine and Romania.

In Moldova, power is shared between the directly elected president and a prime minister appointed by parliament, with Igor Grosu, the PAS leader and a close ally of Sandu, expected to take the post.

The results will be greeted with relief in Brussels and other European capitals, where there had been fears Moscow could regain a foothold in a strategically vital region.