CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu won a second term in a crucial presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race that was overshadowed by accusations of Russian interference, election fraud and intimidation in the European Union candidate country.

With almost 99% of the votes counted in the second round of the presidential election held on Sunday, Sandu won 55% of the vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), compared to 45% for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former attorney general who was backed by the pro-Russian Socialist Party.

The result will be a huge relief for the pro-Western government, which strongly backed Sandu’s candidacy and his push for closer Western ties on Moldova’s path to the EU.

“Moldova, you have won! Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy worthy of being written in the history books. Today you saved Moldova!” Sandu said after claiming victory after midnight.

He went on to claim that his country’s vote had faced an “unprecedented attack” through alleged schemes that included 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 power of the people when they decide to speak through their vote,” he added.

Before the final vote count, Stoianoglo told the media that “everyone’s voice deserves respect” and that he hopes that “from now on we put an end to the hatred and division that has been imposed on us.” It is unclear whether he has commented publicly on his election loss.

When polls closed locally at 9:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. GMT), turnout was more than 1.68 million people, about 54% of eligible voters, according to the CEC. Moldova’s large diaspora, which cast a record number of votes of more than 325,000 people, voted heavily for Sandu in the second round.

In the first round held on October 20, Sandu obtained 42% of the votes, but did not achieve an absolute majority over the second placed, Stoianoglo. The presidential role carries significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security and has a four-year term.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu on her victory, writing in X: “It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you have faced in this election.”

Accusations of vote buying and Russian interference

The Moldovan diaspora played a key role in the presidential election and in a national referendum held on October 20, when a narrow majority of 50.35% voted to secure Moldova’s path to EU membership. But voting results, including Sunday’s, were overshadowed by accusations of a major vote-buying scheme and voter intimidation.

Instead of gaining the overwhelming support Sandu had hoped for, the results in both elections exposed Moldova’s judiciary as unable to adequately protect the democratic process.

On Sunday, Moldovan police said they had “reasonable evidence” of organized transportation of voters (illegal under the country’s electoral code) to polling stations from within the country and from abroad, and that they are “investigating and recording evidence in relation with air transport activities from Russia to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.”

“These measures are taken to protect the integrity of the electoral process and 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 United Kingdom, had been the target of false bomb threats, which were “only intended to stop the voting process.” “.

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

Secrieru later added that national voter registration systems were being targeted by “ongoing coordinated cyber attacks” to disrupt links between domestic polling stations and those abroad, and that cybersecurity teams were “working to counter these threats and guarantee the continuity of the system.”

Moldova’s Prime Minister Dorin Recean said people across the country had received “anonymous death threats through telephone calls” in what he called “an extreme attack” to scare voters in the former Soviet republic, which It has a population of around 2.5 million people.

After casting his vote in Chisinau, Sandu told reporters: “Thieves want to buy our vote, thieves want to buy our country, but the power of the people is infinitely greater.”

Outside a polling station in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, 20-year-old medical student Silviana Zestrea said the second round would be a “definitive step” towards Moldova’s future.

“People need to understand that we have to elect a real candidate who meets our expectations,” he said. “Because I think even if we were a diaspora now, none of us really wanted to leave.”

Moldovan police expose plot allegedly masterminded by convicted oligarch

In the wake of the two October votes, Moldovan authorities said that Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch living in Russia who was convicted in absentia last year of fraud and money laundering, had orchestrated a vote-buying scheme. Shor denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say $39 million was paid to more than 130,000 recipients between September and October through an internationally sanctioned Russian bank. Anti-corruption authorities have carried out hundreds of searches and seized more than $2.7 million (€2.5 million) in cash as they seek to crack down.

In one case in Gagauzia, an autonomous part of Moldova where only 5% voted in favor of the EU, a doctor was arrested after allegedly forcing 25 residents of a nursing home to vote for a candidate they did not choose. Police said they obtained “conclusive evidence,” including financial transfers from the same Russian bank.

On Saturday, at a church in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, Father Vasilii told The Associated Press that he had urged people to go vote because it is a “civic obligation” and that they do not name any candidate.

“We use the assets that the country offers us: electricity, gas,” he said. “Whether we like or not what the government does, we must go and vote. …The church always prays for peace.”

On Thursday, prosecutors raided the headquarters of a political party and said 12 people were suspected of paying voters to select a candidate in the presidential race. A criminal case was also opened in which 40 employees of state agencies were suspected of accepting electoral bribes.

Moldova’s future in the EU is at stake

Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, told the AP that whatever the outcome of the second round, “it will not deflate” geopolitical tensions. “On the contrary, I expect geopolitical polarization to amplify with the campaign for the 2025 legislative elections.”

Moldovan authorities need more resources and better-trained staff working at a faster pace to tackle voter fraud, he added, to “create an environment where anyone tempted to buy or sell votes knows there will be clear and swift consequences.” ”.

Savlina Adasan, a 21-year-old economics student from Bucharest, said she voted for Sandu, citing concerns about corruption and voters being uninformed about the two candidates.

“We want a European future for our country,” he said, adding that it offers “a lot of opportunities, development for our country… and I feel that if the other candidate wins, then it means we go back 10 steps as a country.” .”

A pro-Western government has been in power in Moldova since 2021, and parliamentary elections will be held in 2025. Moldova observers warn that next year’s vote could be Moscow’s main target.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied to join the EU. It was granted candidate status in June of that year and, in the summer of 2024, Brussels agreed to start negotiations for its accession. The sharp turn westward irritated Moscow and significantly soured relations with Chisinau.

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