In Eastern Europe, Moldova held the second round of presidential elections on Sunday, November 3. The pro-Western incumbent president, Maia Sandu, declared victory in the election, defeating her opponent Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was supported by the traditionally pro-Russian Socialist Party.
According to reports from Reuters, the Moldovan Central Election Commission announced at the conclusion of the election and campaigning that with 98% of the votes counted, Sandu leads Stoianoglo with 54.35% of the support.
At 52 years old, Sandu, a former World Bank consultant, has expedited Moldova’s departure from the Russian orbit and progress towards joining the European Union during her first presidential term. Her supporters see Sunday’s victory as an affirmation of her steadfast pro-Western stance.
Stoianoglo expressed support for European integration but also emphasized developing relations with Russia based on national interests. Sandu has labeled him as a Trojan horse for Russian interests, a claim Stoianoglo has disputed.
Moldova, a poor agricultural country, has oscillated between pro-Russian and pro-Western trajectories since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Concerns about Moldova’s future heightened following Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.
The European Union closely monitored the Moldovan election. Just a week prior, another former Soviet country seeking EU membership, Georgia, elected a ruling party that appears increasingly pro-Russian in the eyes of the West.
In her victory speech, Sandu acknowledged the concerns of those who voted against her and pledged to be the president for all Moldovans, regardless of their support.
She stated, “I hear your voices – whether you supported me or voted for Mr. Stoianoglo. I promise to be the president for all of you.”
Moldova allowed its citizens living abroad to vote for the first time in 2010, with this election seeing the highest number of overseas voters since then.
Sandu appears poised to win over 80% of the overseas vote, with the counting of these votes still ongoing.
On another front, following a series of accusations by the incumbent government of election interference, Sandu’s national security advisor, Stanislav Secrieru, again accused Russia of massive intervention in Moldovan elections on Sunday.
Secrieru wrote on the X social media platform, “We are witnessing large-scale Russian intervention in our election process… These efforts could very well distort the election outcome.”
Moscow has yet to comment, having previously denied allegations of interfering in Moldovan elections.