The Portuguese Head of State “welcomes this historic result, which reflects the will of the Moldovan people to remain firmly on the path of democracy, freedom and integration in the EU.”
The head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, congratulated Maia Sandu on Monday for her re-election as president of the Republic of Moldova, considering it a “historic result” for democracy, freedom and European integration.
According to a note published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic on the Internet, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa “conveyed warm congratulations to President Maia Sandu for her re-election as President of the Republic of Moldova”.
“President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who this afternoon contacted the re-elected president, welcomes this historic result, which reflects the will of the Moldovan people to remain firmly on the path of democracy, freedom and integration in the European Union,” reads the same note.
According to data from Sunday night from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), when almost 99% of the votes in the second round of the presidential elections had been counted, Maia Sandu, pro-European Union, obtained 54.7% of the votes, compared to 45.3% for Alexandr Stoianoglo, former attorney general supported by the pro-Russian Socialist Party..
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was in Moldova on an official visit at the end of October last year, invited by President Maia Sandu.after having received her in Portugal, at the beginning of the same month, on a state visit.
During Maia Sandu’s state visit, the President of the Republic declared the Portugal’s support for Moldova’s desire to join the European Union.
Last month, the Head of State welcomed the victory of the “yes” vote to join the European Union in a referendum held in Moldova, reiterating at the time Portugal’s support “for the European aspiration” of this Eastern European country. .
The referendum took place on October 20, simultaneously with the first round of the presidential elections, in which Maia Sandu came first, with around 42% of the votes, but failed to obtain an absolute majority.
Maia Sandu denounced the existence of Russian interference in this electoral process, an accusation supported by authorities of the European Union and the United States of America.
The Republic of Moldova, with around 2.5 million inhabitants, is located between Romania and Ukraine.
In March 2022, Moldova submitted a formal application to join the European Union, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 of that year.
In June 2022, Moldova obtained the status of a candidate country for the European Union and in December 2023 accession negotiations began.
Russia maintains a contingent of about 1,500 soldiers in the Transnistria region, territory controlled by pro-Moscow separatists since Moldova’s civil war in 1992.
Source: Observadora
