Moldova’s pro-western president wins runoff against Russia-friendly opponent

Moldova’s pro-western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud and intimidation.

With nearly 99% of votes counted in the second round of the election held on Sunday, Ms Sandu had 54.7% of the vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), compared with 45.3% for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general who was backed by the pro-Russia Party of Socialists.

The result will be a major relief for the pro-western government which strongly backed Ms Sandu’s candidacy and her push for closer western ties on Moldova’s path towards EU membership.

“Moldova, you are victorious. Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books. Today, you have saved Moldova. In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost,” Ms Sandu said after claiming victory after midnight.

But she claimed the vote faced an “unprecedented attack” through alleged schemes including dirty money, vote-buying and electoral interference “by hostile forces from outside the country” and criminal groups.

“You have shown that nothing can stand in the way of the people’s power when they choose to speak through their vote,” she added.

When polls closed, turnout stood at more than 1.68 million people — about 54% of eligible voters, according to the CEC. Moldova’s large diaspora, which cast ballots in record numbers of more than 325,000 voted, heavily in favour of Ms Sandu.

In the first round held on October 20, she won 42% of the ballot but failed to win an outright majority over the second place Mr Stoianoglo. The presidential role carries significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security and has a four-year term.

On Sunday, police said they had “reasonable evidence” of organised transportation of voters — illegal under the country’s electoral code — to polling stations from within the country and from overseas, and are “investigating and registering evidence in connection with air transport activities from Russia to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey”.

“Such measures are taken to protect the integrity of the electoral process and to ensure that every citizen’s vote is cast freely without undue pressure or influence,” police said.

Moldova’s foreign ministry said on Sunday afternoon that polling stations in Frankfurt, Germany, and Liverpool and Northampton in the UK had been targeted by false bomb threats, which “intended only to stop the voting process”.

Stanislav Secrieru, the president’s national security adviser, wrote on X: “We are seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process,” which he warned had a “high potential to distort the outcome” of the vote.

He later added that national voter record systems had been targeted by “ongoing co-ordinated cyberattacks” to disrupt links between domestic polling stations and those abroad, and that cyber security teams were “working to counter these threats and ensure system continuity”.

Prime Minister Dorin Recean said people throughout the country had received “anonymous death threats via phone calls” in what he called “an extreme attack” to scare voters in the former Soviet republic, which has a population of about 2.5 million.

After casting her ballot in Chisinau, Ms Sandu said “today, more than ever, we must be united, keep our peace, keep our vote, keep our independence”.

“Thieves want to buy our vote, thieves want to buy our country, but the power of the people is infinitely greater,” she told reporters.