Czech Populist Gains, Moldova's Pro‑EU Party Wins

In Czechia’s Oct. 3–4 parliamentary vote, former prime minister Andrej Babiš’s right‑wing ANO movement led counting with about 35% of the vote, ahead of the ruling Spolu coalition and centrist STAN. ANO is skeptical of deeper EU ties for Ukraine and opposes further aid or Ukrainian EU membership, raising questions about Prague’s future stance on the war in Ukraine. In neighboring Moldova, President Maia Sandu’s pro‑EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won a clear parliamentary majority with roughly 50% of the vote versus about 24% for the pro‑Russian Patriotic Bloc, despite sustained Russian hybrid‑warfare efforts including disinformation, cyberattacks, vote‑buying and the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria. Observers say the Moldova result is a significant defeat for Moscow’s influence campaign, bolsters the country’s EU integration prospects, and has prompted calls for stepped‑up European support — financial, security and accession momentum — to consolidate those gains. Moldova still faces energy shocks, an influx of Ukrainian refugees and a lengthy EU accession process, meaning the government must consolidate reforms and improve energy security even as regional outcomes underline a widening split in Central and Eastern Europe between rising domestic populist, anti‑Ukraine forces and resilient pro‑European sentiment.