--- title: Russian Allies Set to Win Presidencies in Moldova, Bulgaria description: Russia's influence in Europe could strengthen, as Bulgaria and Moldova are set to elect candidates with Moscow sympathies as their leaders canonical: https://time.com/4569330/russia-putin-allies-presidential-election-moldova-bulgaria/ author: Kevin Lui article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-14T07:04:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:47:50.481Z article:section: World og:title: Russian Allies Set to Win Presidencies in Moldova, Bulgaria og:description: The results could prove challenging for the E.U. as it seeks to contain Moscow og:url: https://time.com/4569330/russia-putin-allies-presidential-election-moldova-bulgaria/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b7b3f4366865c64/6988ae4dab6d77f1e36abf0e/gettyimages-623043000.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: MOLDOVA-POLITICS-ELECTIONS-VOTE og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Russian Allies Set to Win Presidencies in Moldova, Bulgaria twitter:description: The results could prove challenging for the E.U. as it seeks to contain Moscow twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b7b3f4366865c64/6988ae4dab6d77f1e36abf0e/gettyimages-623043000.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Russian Allies Are Expected to Win Presidential Elections in Moldova and Bulgaria by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Nov 14, 2016 7:04 AM CUT  Moldova's presidential candidate Igor Dodon gestures during a press conference after the end of voting in Chisinau, Moldova, on Nov. 13, 2016 Moldova's presidential candidate Igor Dodon gestures during a press conference after the end of voting in Chisinau, Moldova, on Nov. 13, 2016Daniel Mihailescu—AFP/Getty Images by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Nov 14, 2016 7:04 AM CUT Russia’s geopolitical influence is set to be further strengthened, with two Eastern European countries expected to elect as their leaders candidates with links to Moscow and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Voters in the former Soviet bloc nations of Bulgaria and Moldova went to the polls Sunday in their respective runoff presidential elections. The New York _Times_ [reports](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/world/europe/pro-russia-candidate-appears-likely-to-win-bulgarian-presidency.html "undefined") that in both instances, an openly pro-Russia candidate would all but certainly assume the presidency. Such an outcome could plunge the European Union in further crisis, [according to](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/13/pro-russia-presidential-candidates-tipped-to-win-in-bulgaria-and-moldova "undefined") Reuters, as Moldova, currently yet to become an E.U. member, could possibly end its ongoing integration efforts with the regional bloc. The _Times_ reports that pro-Russian socialist candidate Igor Dodon has plans for a referendum on whether the country should withdraw from a 2014 political-and-trade agreement with the E.U., and instead join a Russia-led Eurasian Customs Union. **Read Also:** [_Broken Dreams: The Aftermath of 25 Years of Democracy in Bulgaria_](http://time.com/3731816/bulgaria-democracy/ "undefined") The country has found itself in turmoil since revelation of massive corruption came in 2014, when over $1 billion — roughly one-eighth of the whole country’s GDP — was discovered [to have vanished](http://time.com/4033004/moldova-anti-corruption-protests/ "undefined"). Locals believe that the country’s elite, largely sympathetic to the E.U., was somehow involved this graft, according to Reuters. In Bulgaria, the apparent President-elect, Rumen Radev, is a former air-force commander without political experience. Reuters reports that his pro-Moscow, anti-immigrant campaign platform has found resonance in a country coming to grips with being the poorest member state of the E.U. He has campaigned on a promise to not let Bulgaria, which borders Turkey, become “Europe’s migrant ghetto,” according to the _Times_. Radev also praised U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s apparent willingness to soften strained U.S.-Russia relations, according to the _Times_, saying that it “brings big hope for finding a peaceful resolution to the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine and avoiding further confrontation and escalation.“ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4569330/russia-putin-allies-presidential-election-moldova-bulgaria/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4569330/russia-putin-allies-presidential-election-moldova-bulgaria/"},"headline":"Russian Allies Are Expected to Win Presidential Elections in Moldova and Bulgaria","datePublished":"2016-11-14T07:04:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:47:50.481Z","description":"The results could prove challenging for the E.U. as it seeks to contain an assertive Moscow","url":"https://time.com/4569330/russia-putin-allies-presidential-election-moldova-bulgaria/","keywords":["europe","russia","Bulgaria"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b7b3f4366865c64/6988ae4dab6d77f1e36abf0e/gettyimages-623043000.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevin Lui","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kevin-lui/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b7b3f4366865c64/6988ae4dab6d77f1e36abf0e/gettyimages-623043000.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MOLDOVA-POLITICS-ELECTIONS-VOTE","caption":"MOLDOVA-POLITICS-ELECTIONS-VOTE","creditText":"Daniel Mihailescu—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/europe/","name":"europe"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4569330/russia-putin-allies-presidential-election-moldova-bulgaria/","name":"Russian Allies Are Expected to Win Presidential Elections in Moldova and Bulgaria"}}]}] ```