CHIțINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in a key presidential election against a Russia-friendly opponent in a race that has been overshadowed by claims of Russian interference , voter fraud and intimidation in the Republic of Moldova. Candidate country for the European Union.

With almost 99% of votes counted in the second round of the presidential election held on Sunday, Sandu had 55% of the vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission, or CEC, compared to 45% for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general who was supported by the Party To the pro-Russian socialists.

The result will be a major relief for the pro-Western government, which strongly supported Sandu’s candidacy, and its push for closer Western relations on Moldova’s path to the EU.

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

She went on to claim that her country’s vote faced an “unprecedented attack” through alleged schemes including dirty money, vote-buying and election interference “by hostile forces outside the country” and criminal groups.

“You have shown that nothing can stand in the way of the power of the people when they choose to speak through the vote,” she added.

Speaking before the final vote count, Stoianoglo told the media that “everyone’s voice deserves respect” and that he hoped “from now on we will put an end to the hatred and division that is imposed on us”. It is not clear whether he has publicly commented on his electoral defeat.

When polls closed locally at 9:00 p.m. (1900 GMT), turnout was more than 1.68 million people – about 54 percent of eligible voters, according to the CEC. The large Moldovan diaspora, which voted in a record number of over 325,000 people, voted strongly in favor of Sandu in the round.

In the first round held on October 20, Sandu obtained 42% of the ballots, but failed to win an outright majority over the runner-up, Stoianoglo. The presidential role has 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 on X: “It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you faced in this election.”

Allegations of vote buying and Russian interference

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

Instead of winning the overwhelming support Sandu had hoped for, the results in both races revealed Moldova’s judiciary as incapable of adequately protecting the democratic process.

On Sunday, Moldovan police said they had “reasonable evidence” of the organized transport of voters – illegal under the country’s electoral code – to polling stations at home and abroad and that they were “investigating and recording evidence related to air transport activities from Russia to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.”

“Such measures are taken to protect the integrity of the electoral process and to ensure that every citizen’s vote is cast freely without undue pressure or influence,” police said.

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Moldova said on Sunday afternoon that polling stations in Frankfurt, Germany, Liverpool and Northampton in the UK were targeted by false bomb threats, which “only intend to stop the voting process”.

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

The secretary later added that national voter registration systems are being targeted by “ongoing coordinated cyber attacks” to disrupt links between domestic and overseas polling stations and that cyber security teams are “working to counter these threats and to ensure the continuity of the system”.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said people across the country had received “anonymous death threats via phone calls” in what he called an “extreme attack” to scare voters in the former Soviet republic, which has a population of about 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.”

In front of a polling station in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, 20-year-old medical student Silviana Zestrea said the tour would be a “definitive step” towards the future of the Republic of Moldova.

“People need to understand that we need to elect a real candidate who will meet our expectations,” she said. “Because I think even though we’re a diaspora now, none of us wanted to leave.”

Moldovan police unveil a scheme allegedly by a convicted oligarch

Following the two October votes, Moldovan law enforcement officials said a vote-buying scheme was orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch who lives in Russia and was convicted in absentia last year of fraud and money laundering . Shor denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say $39 million was paid to voters to more than 130,000 beneficiaries through an internationally sanctioned Russian bank between September and October. Anti-corruption authorities have carried out hundreds of raids and seized more than $2.7m (€2.5m) in cash as they try 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 detained after allegedly forcing 25 residents of a home for elderly adults to vote for a candidate he they didn’t choose him. Police said they had 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 urged people to vote because it was a “civic obligation” and that they were not naming any candidates.

“We use the goods that the country gives us – light, gas,” he said. “Whether we like what the government is doing or not, we have to go and vote. … The Church always prays for peace.”

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

Moldova’s EU future is at stake

Cristian Cantir, an associate professor of international relations from Moldova at Oakland University, told the AP that regardless of the outcome of the second round, it “will not deflate” geopolitical tensions. “On the contrary, I expect geopolitical polarization to be amplified by the campaign for the 2025 legislative elections.”

Law enforcement in the Republic of Moldova needs more resources and better trained personnel working at a faster pace to combat voter fraud, he added, to “create an environment where anyone is tempted to buy or sell votes to know that there will be clear and swift consequences”.

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

“We want a European future for our country,” she 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 will go 10 steps backwards as a country . .”

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

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied for EU membership. It was granted candidate status in June of that year, and in the summer of 2024, Brussels agreed to begin accession negotiations. The sudden shift to the west angered Moscow and significantly worsened relations with Chisinau.

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