Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in office in a pivotal presidential run-off against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race that was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud and intimidation in the European Union candidate country.
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With nearly 98 per cent of votes counted in the second round of the presidential race held on Sunday, Sandu had obtained 54 per cent of the total votes, according to the Central Electoral Commission, or CEC, compared with 46 per cent for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general who was backed by the pro-Russia Party of Socialists.
When polls closed locally at 9pm, turnout stood at more than 1.68 million people – about 54 per cent of eligible voters, according to CEC.
The result will be a major relief for the pro-Western government, which strongly backed Sandu’s candidacy, and her push for closer Western ties on Moldova’s path toward the European Union (EU).
“Moldova, you are victorious! Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books. Today, you have saved Moldova! In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost,” Sandu, 52, said.
She said the government needed to prepare the country for parliamentary elections next summer and preserve democracy.
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The fortunes of Sandu, who set Moldova on the long path of EU accession talks in June, are closely watched in Brussels a week after Georgia, another ex-Soviet state seeking membership, re-elected a ruling party regarded in the West as increasingly pro-Russian.
The future of Moldova, a poor agricultural nation of fewer than 3 million people, has been in the spotlight since Russia began its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.