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Pro-West Sandu Declares Victory In Moldova's Tight Presidential Runoff

By RFE/RL's Moldovan Service November 03, 2024

CHISINAU - Pro-Europe incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu has declared victory over Russia-friendly challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo, in balloting marred by accusations of of Russian interference and voter fraud.

With 98.8 percent of ballots counted in the November 3 election, the Central Election Commission said Sandu had 54.97 percent of the vote to Stoianoglo's 45.03 percent, a lead of almost 165,000 votes in preliminary results.

"Moldova, you are victorious!" a jubilant Sandu, who was boosted by votes in the capital, Chisinau, and from diaspora votes, said shortly after midnight.

"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," she added.

Stoianoglo, who has not conceded, had held the early lead, but it continued to narrow as votes were being counted from the large cities, where Sandu has most support. In addition, votes from the diaspora West could favor Sandu as they are reported.

The Central Election Commission reported that turnout surpassed 54 percent, stronger than in the first round and also higher than in the 2020 presidential runoff.

Sandu won the first round on October 20 with 42 percent of the vote compared to 26 percent for Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general who received backing from the pro-Russia Socialist Party of Moldova.

In comments to reporters after casting her ballot at a Chisinau polling station, Sandu said she voted "with Moldova."

"Thieves want to buy our vote, they want to buy our country, but the power of the people is infinitely greater than any of their malice," she said. "The power of Moldova is in each of you, go out to vote with faith and hope. Heads up, Moldovans!"

Following the close of most polling stations, Stoianoglo said the large turnout proved that Moldova is not just "a point on the map with simple spectators, but a country of responsible people."

As Sandu was declaring victory, Stoianoglo called for calm, saying "democracy means, first of all, maturity in the face of the result."

The vote came amid accusations of Russian meddling in both the presidential race and a referendum on Moldova's potential further integration with the European Union -- a direction Sandu and her supporters strongly support.

The pro-EU side scored a razor-thin victory in the referendum -- the "yes" vote getting 50.38 percent - but Sandu quickly alleged that "criminal groups together with foreign forces" tried to "buy 300,000 votes," making the final result significantly closer than pre-vote polls had indicated.

Surveys also indicated that Sandu would take an easy victory in the first round of the presidential election, but Socialist challenger Stoianoglo surprised with a better-than-expected total, forcing the runoff vote.

Sandu's national security adviser posted a statement to X, claiming "massive interference" by Russia in the runoff vote.

"An effort with high potential to distort the outcome," Stanislav Secrieru said in his post. He gave no details.

Moldova has 3.02 million registered voters, including those in the diaspora. Voters in the West were credited with helping the "yes" side eke out the narrow victory in the EU referendum and helped Sandu in the runoff election.

According to the CEC, foreign voting went to Sandu by a large margin, with the incumbent winning 81 percent to 19 percent over the challenger.

Votes in Chisinau also went to Sandu by a 57-43 percent margin.

While the position of president is technically a ceremonial position in Moldova, holders of the office often wield considerable political influence. A president may serve for two consecutive four-year terms.

Scattered irregularities were reported during the early voting hours on November 3, including incidents of purported photographing of ballots -- which voters in the past have used to prove their choice in potential vote-buying cases.

Angelica Caraman, head of the election commission, said that as of 4 p.m., 18 cases of alleged electoral corruption had been officially reported, while police authorities said they had registered at least 126 complaints of electoral violations.

Police authorities said in a statement that outside the country, voters were being transported in large groups to two polling stations in Moscow as well as polling stations in the Belarusian capital, Minsk; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Istanbul, Turkey, including by airplane. Moldovan voters in those countries are known to typically support pro-Russian groups.

Election authorities called on citizens to report any attempts to transport voters to polling stations in an organized manner. Similar violations were flagged by independent observers from Promo-Lex, a democracy watchdog.

There were also reports of apparently fake bomb threats called into polling stations in Moldova and in several countries, including in Britain, Germany, and Romania.

Elsewhere outside the country, polling stations for Moldovans in Japan and China were among the first to close.

In Tokyo, officials reported Sandu winning by 58-7, while in Beijing, Sandu had 59 votes out of 73 cast.

Sandu, 52, is a Harvard graduate and former employee at the World Bank. She became Moldova's first female president with a landslide victory in 2020, running on a strong pro-EU message and vows to fight corruption.

But her support may have slipped during her first term amid an economy that was ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions with Russia.

As president, Sandu was instrumental in securing Moldova's candidacy for future EU membership, an achievement given extra urgency following Russia's full-scale invasion of bordering Ukraine a few months earlier.

Throughout her presidency, Sandu has been criticized by pro-Kremlin political parties who have accused her of stoking conflict with Moscow.

Stoianoglo, 57, from Gagauzia -- an autonomous region of Moldova with pro-Russia sentiment -- was Moldova's prosecutor-general between 2019 and 2021. He campaigned on a law-and-order theme, although critics have slammed him for what they say was a failure to address high-level corruption during his time in office.

Stoianoglo has claimed he holds no political affiliation and has rejected accusations that he is "Moscow's man."

His reaction to the war in Ukraine has been ambiguous -- expressing a "negative attitude" toward the conflict but not directly condemning Russia for the invasion.

Although he has often taken anti-EU stances, he is also a Romanian -- and thus EU -- citizen, and his daughter reportedly works at the European Central Bank.

After media reports revealed that he possessed a Romanian passport, he argued that he obtained it in 2019 in an "apolitical context," without elaborating.

Most of Moldova was part of Romania until the end of World War II and many Moldovans also hold Romanian citizenship, which gives them the opportunity to travel freely to the EU and work there.

Moldova is one of Europe's poorest countries with a sizeable Russian minority and a Moscow-backed separatist region, Transdniester, located on the left bank of the Dniester River.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-presidential- runoff-russian-interference-claims-/33185440.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.