Pro-Western President of Moldova Maia Sandu won the second round of the presidential elections, surpassing Alexandr Stoianoglo, her opponent supported by the traditionally pro-Russian Socialist Party. After processing 99.5% of the protocols, Sandu leads with a result of 55.25%. Her opponent, former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, has 44.75% of the votes.
«Moldova, today you have won. Together we have shown the strength of our unity, democracy, and commitment to a worthy future. Thank you, dear Moldovans, at home and abroad. Live with pride — you are freedom, hope, and resilience. I am proud to serve you all», — wrote Sandu on the social network X.
Sandu's victory, which accelerated the country's process of leaving Moscow's orbit and joining the European Union, is seen by her supporters as an endorsement of the decisively pro-Western course she adheres to. However, the voting results within the country showed that Sandu actually lost to Stoianoglo by a small margin — 48.8% to 51.2%. However, she gained more than 80% of the diaspora votes, who voted outside the country. A record number of voters abroad participated in these elections.
Stoianoglo's results in a significant part of the country indicate that Sandu's party will face serious challenges in the key parliamentary elections next summer, which will determine the composition of the government. «I want you to know — I heard all the voices, including the critical ones», — said Maia Sandu on the night of the vote count.
Stoianoglo's rhetoric of balancing between East and West contrasts with Sandu's four years of rule, during which ties with the Kremlin were severed, Moscow diplomats were expelled, and she condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Moscow calls her government «Russophobic». Additionally, during Sandu's previous presidential term, she faced a barrage of criticism, with opponents accusing her of being unable to handle the country's economic problems.
Sandu's national security advisor Stanislav Secrieru on Sunday accused Russia of massive interference, marking the latest in a series of accusations against fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who lives in Russia and denies his guilt. «We are witnessing massive Russian interference in our electoral process... efforts with a high potential to distort results», — wrote Secrieru on Sunday on the site X.
Secrieru cited reports of voters being taken to polling stations, cyberattacks, and false bomb threats at polling stations in Europe. Police took measures to prevent a repeat of what they said was a large-scale vote-buying scheme orchestrated by Shor in the first round. Sandu stated that the interference affected the first round on October 20 and that Shor attempted to buy the votes of 300,000 people, which is more than 10% of the population.
Photo: Reuters