Moldova's Maia Sandu has declared victory in the country's presidential election, a result that appears to rubber stamp her plans to steer the former Soviet republic into the EU by the end of the decade.
The President, a former World Bank official, said on Sunday that her successful re-election campaign proved "we can defeat those who wanted to bring us to our knees". She secured had more than 55 per cent of the vote, with preliminary results from 99 per cent of polling stations tallied, the country’s Central Electoral Commission said.
Ms Sandu has claimed victory over rival Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor who pledged to maintain strong ties with Russia. The ballot count included a record number of votes from Moldovans living abroad, who strongly supported the President. Authorities on Sunday warned of “massive interference” from Moscow that was intended to disrupt the election.
Ms Sandu, 52, has vowed to press ahead with the aim of joining the EU, as she confronts a fragmented public and fierce resistance from Russia. Voters approved the country’s EU bid in a referendum two weeks ago, albeit by a slim margin. That came after polls showed a consistent majority were in favour of joining the bloc.
Less than a week later, Georgia’s Moscow-aligned ruling party declared victory in a parliamentary vote, leading to condemnation from the opposition, which said the vote was rigged.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Ms Sandu on Sunday, saying her win represented a "triumph for democracy". "France will continue to stand beside Moldova on the country's European path," Mr Macron said on X.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also congratulated Ms Sandu, who he said "has steered the Republic of Moldova safely through difficult times and set the country on a European course. We stand by Moldova's side".
The future of Moldova, a poor agricultural nation of a population of less than three million, has been in the spotlight since Russia began its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.
Moldova began EU accession talks this year after securing candidacy status alongside Ukraine in 2022. Ms Sandu’s government has pledged to overhaul the nation’s justice system and bolster the economy to become a member by 2030.
But Russia, which held a strong influence over Moldova’s energy resources and political system in the more than three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, has sought to thwart the country’s path. With the US and EU accusing Moscow of meddling in the election, the chief Moldovan negotiator with the bloc last month said Moscow spent about €100 million ($109 million) trying to disrupt the vote.
A Harvard-educated economist, Ms Sandu took office in 2020 after promising integration with Europe. She will become the country’s first head of state to be elected to a second term in a popular vote. Vladimir Voronin secured a second term in 2005, although that came under a previous system in which the president was elected by parliament.
The results will set the tone for parliamentary elections next year, when Ms Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity may struggle to retain its majority. "Today is a crucial day for us … we go in one direction or the other. We didn't have such an important day in the last 30 years," said Mihai David, 58, who voted in the capital, Chisinau.
Mr Stoianoglo's stance on relations with Russia and the West contrasted with Ms Sandu's four years in power, during which Moldova's ties with Moscow have unravelled, Russian diplomats have been expelled and she has condemned the invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has called her government "Russophobic".
