Moldova’s pro-EU president wins run-off election amid allegations of Russian meddling
- 4 November, 12:10
Moldova’s incumbent President Maia Sandu secured a second four-year term in a run-off election held on Sunday. The Moldovan Central Electoral Commission announced Sandu's victory on Monday morning, revealing she received 55% of the votes according to preliminary results.
Her opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo known for his close ties with Moscow, received 45% of the vote. Representing pro-Russian Party of Socialists, Stoianoglo is a strong advocate for closer relationship with Moscow. Stoianoglo, who was dismissed from his position as prosecutor general by Sandu, rejected claims of being pro-Kremlin.
In a speech late Sunday night, Sandu, 52, pledged to represent all Moldovans. On the same day, Sandu’s national security adviser claimed there had been "massive interference" from Russia in the electoral process, raising concerns about its potential to affect the results. Kremlin has rejected allegations of interfering into Moldova’s pivotal election.
In a joint statement congratulating Sandu on her re-election, the European Commission and the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, highlighted the "unprecedented interference by Russia."
The turnout in the election stood at 54%, with Moldova's Central Electoral Commission reporting a total of 3.3 million registered voters.
Two weeks earlier, Sandu failed to secure over 50 % of votes during the first round of election that coincided with the constitutional referendum on embracing Moldova’s commitment to join EU.
Russia has already denied any involvement in the voting, which took place just a week after another significant election in Georgia, where the president referred to it as a "Russian special operation."
Stoianoglo, who was dismissed from his position as prosecutor general by Sandu, rejected claims of being pro-Kremlin.
As the polls closed, both Sandu, 52, and Stoianoglo expressed gratitude to the voters, with Stoianoglo addressing the public in both Russian and Romanian. While Romanian is the primary language of Moldova, Russian is commonly spoken due to the country's Soviet history.
