Politics

Moldova chooses Europe. Outgoing President, Maia Sandu, was re-elected after a second round against pro-Russian Alexandr Stoianoglo. After the chaotic referendum, Moldovans are distancing themselves from Moscow.

Putin must be fuming. Moldova opts for the European model. Outgoing President, Maia Sandu, was re-elected with 54.9% of the vote after the second round of the presidential elections on Sunday, November 3, 2024. Two weeks ago, in addition to the first round of the presidential election that she also won, there was a referendum on the European Union. A chaotic vote that ultimately resulted in a very narrow victory for the "yes". This small country, between Romania and Ukraine, with a pro-Russian region, Transnistria, which is under the control of Russian soldiers based there, has clearly demonstrated its desire to join the European Union.

Moscow’s Attempts

In her victory speech, Maia Sandu spoke of an “unprecedented attack” by “hostile and criminal forces”. She referred to attempts of interference and hacking. She also praised her country’s unity and ended her speech with words in Russian as a way of appeasing her Russian-speaking fellow citizens. However, it seems that the vote of the Moldovan diaspora tipped the result in favor of the outgoing president. For his part, the pro-Russian candidate, Alexandr Stoianoglo, seems to have accepted his defeat and called for calm.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source: Le Soir avec Belga – Picture: © picture alliance / Anadolu | Diego Herrera Carcedo)