Moldova’s pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu won a tense second round of presidential elections on Sunday, defeating a rival backed by a pro-Russian party in what she called a “lesson in democracy”.
The elections in the small ex-Soviet republic that lies between them war-torn Ukraine and the European Union, was overshadowed by accusations of interference by Moscow. The most important vote took place just two weeks after Moldovans supported their country’s wish to join the EU by a razor-thin margin in a referendum.
Sandu won 54.94 percent of the vote, compared with 45.06 percent for Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was backed by the pro-Russian Socialist Party and who dismissed Sandu as attorney general last year, according to nearly complete results published by the election commission of the country.
“Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy worthy of being written in the history books… Freedom, truth and justice have triumphed,” Sandu declared.
Her rival Stoianoglo, 57, urged people to “remain calm regardless of the numbers,” but the Socialist party backing him quickly released a statement on Monday questioning the results and calling them “illegitimate” , without providing any specific evidence.
“Maia Sandu is an illegitimate president, recognized only by her sponsors and supporters abroad. The people of Moldova feel betrayed and deprived,” the party claimed in a statement, decrying “the blocking of voters’ access” and other alleged election irregularities. in which Sandu benefited from strong support from the country’s large diaspora.
Biden says democracy won, ‘Russia failed’.
In a statement from the White House, President Biden said Monday morning that the Moldovan people “went to the polls and voted in favor of President Sandu’s vision for a secure, prosperous and democratic Moldova.”
“For months, Russia sought to undermine Moldova’s democratic institutions and electoral processes. But Russia failed,” Biden said. “The Moldovan people have exercised their democratic right to choose their own future, and they have chosen to follow a path that aligns with Europe and democracies around the world.”
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu on her re-election victory and the country’s “European future”, saying it took “a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you have faced in these elections”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said democracy has “overcome all interference and all maneuvers.”
Sandu’s victory was also welcomed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday. His country, where Russia launched its ongoing large-scale invasion almost three years ago, surrounds Moldova on three sides.
“Moldovians have made a clear choice,” Zelensky said on Monday. “They chose a path toward economic growth and social stability.”
He pledged to strengthen Ukraine’s ties with Moldova, noting that both countries had done so has applied to join the EU in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of February 2022.
“Only true security and a peaceful, united Europe can guarantee every person and every family the confidence to face the future with hope and certainty,” he said.
Moldova’s accession negotiations to join the EU were formally opened in June. In the October 20 referendum, 50.35 percent of voters backed EU membership, with Sandu blaming “foreign interference” for the close result in the country of 2.6 million.
“Attacks, provocations and attempts at destabilization”
As in Georgia, another ex-Soviet country where the ruling party won controversial parliamentary elections last weekend, Russia is accused of trying to influence voters. Moscow has denied the allegations.
Police said after the EU referendum they had discovered a Russian vote-buying system that could have affected up to a quarter of ballots, and Moldovan authorities on Sunday reported “attacks, provocations and attempts at destabilization.”
Police said they were investigating Russia’s alleged use of “organized transportation” to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey so that people living in Russia could vote for Moldovan missions in those countries.
Cyber attacks and hoax bomb threats also targeted voting operations abroad, authorities said.
A deeply divided Moldova
The turnout was higher than in the first round on October 20, when Sandu took the lead with 42.5 percent and number two Stoianoglo got 26 percent.
Stoianoglo said when casting his vote on Sunday that he had “no relations with the Kremlin.”
Although he says he is also in favor of joining the EU, he has boycotted the referendum.
Moldova is deeply polarized. A large diaspora and the capital are overwhelmingly in favor of joining the EU, while rural areas and the pro-Russian separatist regions of Transnistria and Gagauzia are against it.
Sandu lost on the territory of Moldova itself, as the election results showed, and she owed her victory to the diaspora.
“This is what turned the election,” said Florent Parmentier, a political scientist at Paris-based Sciences Po, noting Sandu’s “dependence on outsiders.”
To maintain its pro-EU stance, Moldova needs “a lot of help” given “the hybrid war that Russia is waging,” said Andrei Curararu, an analyst at Chisinau-based think tank WatchDog.
“It will not succeed on its own,” he said, previously citing “unprecedented pressure” that has seen an estimated more than $100 million spent on “destabilization activities.”
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