Moldovan diaspora critical in elections as country battles Russian vote-buying, says former minister

Watchdogs say Russia offering overseas voters cash for evidence of voter fraud in possible ploy to declare election rigged

The Moldovan diaspora will hold a critical role in Sunday's high-stakes parliamentary elections as the country battles against an unprecedented Russian vote-buying operation to try to unseat the incumbent pro-European party, said the former deputy prime minister.

Civilian foreign interference watchdogs say Russia is flooding the overseas voter communities with cash, including one advertising campaign offering people 500 to be election observers in the EU with the lure of bonuses of up to 30,000" for evidence of voter fraud.