Moldova’s pro-Western leader, Maia Sandu, has declared victory in a tense presidential run-off that was widely seen as a choice between integration with Europe and closer ties with Russia.
Sandu, a former World Bank economist who opened European Union accession negotiations in June, on Sunday hailed the victory as a “lesson in democracy”.
“Today you saved Moldova,” Sandu, 52, said after claiming victory. “In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost.”
“Freedom, truth, and justice have prevailed,” she added.
With all votes counted, Sandu received 55.33 percent of the vote against 44.67 percent for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general backed by the pro-Russian Socialist Party, according to the Central Electoral Commission.
Stoianoglo, who said he also supported EU integration but wanted to develop ties with Russia, initially called on his supporters to “remain calm, regardless of the figures”.
His Socialist party later claimed irregularities and the reduction of polling booths in Russia for Moldovans living there had marred the vote.
“Maia Sandu is an illegitimate president, recognised only by her sponsors and supporters abroad. The people of Moldova feel betrayed and robbed,” the party said in a statement.
Sandu secured 42 percent in the first-round vote held on October 20, but failed to win an outright majority.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu on her re-election.
“It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you’ve faced in this election. I’m glad to continue working with you towards a European future for Moldova and its people,” von der Leyen wrote on X.
The election result comes just two weeks after the nation of 2.6 million people narrowly backed a referendum to change the constitution in support of EU membership.
Both the election and EU referendum were marred by allegations of Russian meddling amid the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
In her victory speech on Sunday, Sandu said the vote had been subjected to an “unprecedented attack” through vote-buying and electoral interference by “hostile forces” in and outside the country.
“You have shown that nothing can stand in the way of the people’s power when they choose to speak through their vote,” she said.
Earlier, Sandu’s national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru, directly accused Moscow of “massive interference” in the vote.
Police said on Sunday that they had “reasonable evidence” of the illegal organised transportation of people living in Russia to vote at Moldovan missions in Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that polling stations in Germany and the United Kingdom had been targeted by false bomb threats.
Offering his congratulations to Sandu on Monday, United States President Joe Biden said Russian attempts to interfere in the vote had “failed”.
“For months, Russia sought to undermine Moldova’s democratic institutions and election processes. But Russia failed,” he said in a statement.
Moscow, which has repeatedly denied allegations of meddling, has yet to comment on the election results.
President Maia Sandu cast her vote in Chisinau on October 20 during the presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine the country’s path to EU membership in the Moldovan constitution [Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo]
Despite Sandu’s victory, the results pointed to Moldova’s deep polarisation.
While the country’s large diaspora and the capital Chisinau largely favour EU membership, rural areas and the pro-Russian separatist regions of Transnistria and Gagauzia are opposed to joining the bloc.
Excluding votes from abroad, Stoianoglo prevailed over Sandu with 51.2 percent of the vote.
Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, said the election outcome would not ease geopolitical tensions.
“On the contrary, I expect geopolitical polarisation to be amplified by the campaign for the 2025 legislative elections,” Cantir said.
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