Maia Sandu, Moldova’s pro-EU incumbent president, has claimed victory in a contentious Nov. 3 presidential race beset by allegations of interference by Russia—a claim denied by Moscow.
“In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost,” Sandu said, addressing supporters in Chisinau, Moldova’s capital, on the evening of Nov. 4.
“I commit to being the president for all of you.”
She vowed to address the concerns of all Moldovans, including those who voted for her opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo.
With 98 percent of all ballots counted, Sandu was leading Stoianoglo with 54 percent of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission.
“I have heard your voice—both those who supported me and those who voted for Mr. Stoianoglo,” Sandu said.
In a first-round vote on Oct. 20, Sandu clinched more than 42 percent of the vote compared to almost 26 percent for Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general.
Sandu had pledged that if she were reelected, she would bring her country into the European Union by 2030. The EU granted Moldova candidate status last year.
A former adviser for the World Bank, Sandu—who first took office in 2020—is a vociferous critic of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
Under her leadership, Moldova condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion of eastern Ukraine and has remained a staunch supporter of Kyiv and its war effort.
Stoianoglo also supports Moldova’s EU membership bid.
But he also calls for improved relations with Moscow, which have deteriorated markedly under Sandu’s leadership.
Stoianoglo accuses Sandu and her government of mismanaging the national economy at the expense of everyday citizens.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic with a population of more than 3 million, is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Sharing a lengthy border with western Ukraine, it has a Romanian-speaking majority and a sizeable Russian-speaking minority.
‘Russian Interference’ Claims
In the run-up to the vote, Sandu and her supporters sought to portray Stoianoglo, who has the support of Moldova’s Socialist Party, as an agent of the Kremlin.Stoianoglo and Moscow have both denied the charge as politically motivated.
On the day of the vote, Stanislav Secrieru, Sandu’s national security adviser, accused Russia of engaging in “massive” electoral interference.
“We’re seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process,” Secrieru wrote on social media platform X.
Without providing evidence for the claim, he went on to assert that Russian meddling had a “high potential to distort the outcome” of the poll.
Moldova will hold key parliamentary polls next summer that will likely decide the composition of Sandu’s incoming government.
Less than two weeks ago, Georgia, a small country in the South Caucasus, held parliamentary polls, which the country’s ruling party won.
Georgia’s election was likewise beset by claims of Russian interference—allegations for which evidence has not been produced.
Expat Vote Shifts Balance
Sandu appears to have Moldova’s sizable diaspora to thank for her victory.According to the electoral commission, Stoianoglo—not Sandu—clinched the majority of votes cast in Moldova, winning slightly more than 51 percent.
Sandu, however, is projected to win more than 80 percent of all ballots cast by Moldovans living abroad, thereby swinging the final result in her favor.
As of publication time, however, expatriate votes were reportedly still being counted.
The poll saw the highest turnout of expatriate voters in a Moldovan election since 2010, when Moldovans living abroad were first allowed to cast ballots.
“The increased turnout in the diaspora paid off,” Ruslan Rokhov, a Ukrainian political analyst and expert in Moldovan affairs, said in remarks to Reuters.
“It changed the balance of power.”
The first-round election on Oct. 20 was accompanied by a nonbinding referendum on Moldova’s eventual EU accession.
In that poll, the pro-EU camp clinched 50.35 percent of all ballots cast, with the final result likewise being determined by expatriate voters.
