After her victory in the presidential election in the Republic of Moldova, pro-Western head of state Maia Sandu wants to continue to lead the country, which is under Russian influence, into the EU with reforms.
“We need unity,” said the 52-year-old in the capital Chisinau, also in Russian, after her victory in the runoff election. In view of the strong performance of her challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo, she declared that she wanted to be a president for everyone.
Sandu won thanks to the hundreds of thousands of Moldovans abroad – especially in the EU. In the country itself, former Attorney General Stoianoglo, who is committed to economic relations with Moscow, won the majority of the votes.
Sandu from the pro-European Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) received 55.41 percent of the votes, according to the election management in Chisinau after counting over 99 percent of the ballot papers. The 57-year-old Stoianoglo, who called on his supporters to remain calm, was defeated with 44.59 percent of the votes.
The neighboring country of EU member Romania, torn between the West and Russia, must overcome hatred and division, he warned. “Moldova needs stability and not an artificial conflict.” Stoianoglo received a majority in the country itself with 51.19 percent of the votes. In his home region of Gagauzia, an autonomous region, he even received 97.04 percent. Opponents accuse Stoianoglo of being a puppet of corrupt oligarchs and a candidate of Moscow.
The impoverished agricultural country of Moldova has around 2.5 million inhabitants and, like neighboring Ukraine, is a candidate for EU accession. Voter turnout was over 54 percent, higher than in the first round on October 20.
Congratulations from all over the world
Sandu received congratulations not only from neighboring countries Ukraine and Romania. The German government, the EU, China and many other countries also congratulated her. There were initially no congratulations from Russia after the Kremlin sharply rejected allegations of election interference and demanded evidence.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced on Platform X that Sandu had safely steered the Republic of Moldova through difficult times and set her country’s European course. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) wrote on the platform: “The people of Moldova have decided: the majority of them want to resolutely continue on the path to the EU.”
Sandu was successful despite “unprecedented interference by Russia, including vote buying and disinformation campaigns,” the EU Commission and Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell announced. The EU will continue to accompany the country on its path. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Sandu’s assertiveness. “It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges,” von der Leyen wrote on X.
Sandu faces next challenge: parliamentary election
The parliamentary election coming up in the summer is seen as the next big political challenge. Sandu can only tackle the changes if she defends the current majority in the People’s Assembly.
According to media in Chisinau, the prominent Moldovan journalist and political scientist Vladimir Solovyov said that Sandu would have a hard time because she does not have a majority in the country itself. “The results of the second round are not a victory,” he said, referring to the people’s great dissatisfaction with the economic and social situation. “Losing in the country and generally only winning thanks to the diaspora is not an alarm bell, but a wailing siren.”
The parliamentary election will be much harder because Sandu also has to reach out to people in the countryside, expert Brigitta Triebel from the CDU-affiliated Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Chisinau told the German Press Agency. Judicial reform is important in order to make the country more resistant to external election influence. Overcoming the divide between pro-Western forces in the capital and abroad and the regions of Gagauzia and Transnistria under Russian influence is a task for generations.
Chisinau accuses Moscow of massive election interference
The runoff election, like the first round, was accompanied by allegations of manipulation. Sandu’s national security advisor Stanislav Secrieru accused Russia of massive election interference. The authorities are alarmed. In the Transnistria region, which has broken away from Moldova and where Russian troops are stationed, there are organized transports of voters to the polls; this is illegal, he said.
Sandu’s confidant also published reports of organized transport from Russia by bus and charter flights that flew voters to the Azerbaijani capital Baku, the Turkish metropolis Istanbul and the Belarusian capital Minsk.
Security authorities in Chisinau uncovered disinformation and voter buying by pro-Russian forces in advance. Several Russian-language television channels and internet platforms had been blocked in the country. On election day itself, people in Chisinau reported in conversations with dpa reporters that they had received calls last week asking them to vote for Stoianoglo. Some also said that they had been offered money for doing so.
Sandu had also spoken of voter buying after the first round of voting. Two weeks ago, she had also scheduled a parallel referendum on anchoring the EU course in the country’s constitution. The supporters prevailed by a razor-thin margin, and the Constitutional Court confirmed the validity of the result. Russia, on the other hand, wants to keep the country, which is in demand for its agricultural products such as apples, plums, grapes and nuts, within its sphere of influence.
