Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in an election overshadowed by claims of Russian meddling.
With nearly 99 per cent of votes counted in the second round of the presidential election held Sunday, Ms Sandu had 54.7 per cent of the vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission, or CEC, compared to 45.3 per cent for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general who was backed by the pro-Russia Party of Socialists.
The result will be a major relief for the pro-Western government, which strongly backed Ms Sandu’s candidacy, and her push for closer Western ties on Moldova’s path toward the EU.
It comes after the country voted narrowly to change its constitution to recognise Moldovans’ desire to join the 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,” Ms Sandu said after claiming victory.
She went on to claim that her country’s vote had faced an “unprecedented attack” through alleged schemes including dirty money, vote-buying, and electoral interference “by hostile forces from outside the country” and criminal groups.
“You have shown that nothing can stand in the way of the people’s power when they choose to speak through their vote,” she added.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, congratulated Ms Sandu on her re-election victory and the country’s “European future”.
“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,” Ms von der Leyen wrote on X.
When polls closed turnout was at 54 per cent and Moldova’s large diaspora, which cast ballots in record numbers of more than 325,000 voted, heavily in favor of Ms Sandu in the runoff.
In the first round held on October 20, Ms Sandu obtained 42 per cent of the ballot but failed to win an outright majority over the second place Mr Stoianoglo.
