Moldova. Pro-Western President Maia Sandu declares victory in the elections: “Freedom and justice won”

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With almost 98% of the votes counted, Moldovan President Maia Sandu is expected to be re-elected for a new four-year term. In the second round of the presidential elections this Sunday in Moldova, the current head of state, pro-Western and in favor of the country’s entry into the European Union (EU), has so far obtained more than 54.12% of the votes, compared to 45.9% of the pro-Russian candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo.

In her victory speech, Maia Sandu says that Moldova emerged “victorious.” “Dear Moldovans, you offered a lesson in democracy worthy of being written in the history books. In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost. “They won freedom, truth and justice.”

During the count, the opposition candidate was ahead until 90% of the votes were counted. Only in the final stretch of the count did Maia Sandu surpass Alexandr Stoianoglo. The reason? Votes from overseas constituencies take longer to count, and the Moldovan president is quite popular among the country’s diaspora.

In votes from electoral districts abroad, Maia Sandu obtains 80.5% of the votes. The president also achieves good results in the capital, Chisinau. However, Alexandr Stoianoglo achieved an impressive result in regions historically linked to Russia, such as Transnistria. In this area, the pro-Russian candidate obtained more than 79% of the votes.

The probable re-election of Maia Sandu will mean that Chisinau will continue on the path towards the European Union and convergence with the West; in fact, the country obtained candidate country status in June 2022. At the same time, it means that Moldova, on the border with Ukraine, inevitably moves away from Russiaa country that still has some influence on the Moldovan political scene.

In addition to the first round of the presidential election, which Maia Sandu also won on 20 October, a referendum was held to determine whether the population was in favor of an amendment to the Constitution that would allow accession to the European Union. Although quite close (50.4%), the Moldovans voted to join the community bloc. However, the referendum was marred by accusations of fraud on the part of the President.