CHISINAU — Ultimate preliminary outcomes present Moldova’s pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, has received a second time period, a vital milestone for the mixing of one in all Europe’s poorest international locations into the European Union that U.S. President Joe Biden stated was proof that Russian interference “failed.”
With all ballots counted, the Central Election Fee (CEC) stated Sandu acquired 55.33 p.c whereas her Russian-friendly opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, mustered 44.67 p.c — a lead of simply over 179,000 votes.
Sandu’s victory — coming only one week after one other former Soviet republic, Georgia, suffered a setback on its EU path when elections had been received by Moscow-friendly incumbents — got here as a aid for Moldova’s Western companions, who instantly hailed it as proof that democracy can win over Russian meddling.
“For months, Russia sought to undermine Moldova’s democratic establishments and election processes. However Russia failed,” Biden stated in an announcement.
“The Moldovan individuals have exercised their democratic proper to decide on their very own future, and so they have chosen to pursue a path aligned with Europe and democracies in all places,” Biden added.
State Division spokesman Matthew Miller additionally criticized Russian meddling within the election.
“Russia did all the pieces in its energy to disrupt the election, to undermine Moldova’s democracy…together with by way of vote shopping for, disinformation, and malicious cyber-activity, however the individuals of Moldova got here ahead and made their voice heard,” Miller informed reporters on the State Division on November 4.
Throughout Sandu’s first time period, Moldova secured EU candidate standing in 2022 and opened accession talks earlier this 12 months after firmly aligning itself with its jap neighbor, Ukraine, after Russia’s unprovoked invasion in 2022, and becoming a member of the EU sanctions regime in opposition to Russia.
European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the end in a message on X, noting that it’ll assist cement Moldova’s path towards Euro-Atlantic integration.
“Congratulations, expensive Maia Sandu, in your victory tonight. It takes a uncommon type of power to beat the challenges you’ve got confronted on this election,” von der Leyen wrote. “I am glad to proceed working with you in the direction of a European future for Moldova and its individuals.”
“Moldovans have proven as soon as once more their willpower to construct a European future regardless of hybrid makes an attempt to undermine democracy,” EU international coverage chief Josep Borrell stated on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Sandu’s victory in a message on X, saying that Moldovans had made “a transparent alternative” towards Western integration.
“Congratulations to Maia Sandu on profitable the presidential election in Moldova. Ukraine helps the European alternative of the Moldovan individuals and stands able to work collectively to strengthen our partnership,” Zelenskiy wrote.
“Moldovans have made a transparent alternative — they selected a path towards financial progress and social stability,” he wrote.
French President Emmanuel Macron, a staunch supporter of Moldova’s EU path, hailed Sandu’s victory, saying on X that “democracy has triumphed over all interference and maneuvers.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council president, and Marcel Ciolacu, the prime minister of Moldova’s western neighbor, EU and NATO member Romania, had been additionally among the many first to congratulate Sandu.
“Moldovans from everywhere in the world wrote historical past at present. They reconfirmed in entrance of the entire world not solely their braveness, but additionally their full confidence of their European future!” Ciolacu wrote on Fb.
Most of Moldova was a part of Romania till the top of World Battle II and lots of Moldovans additionally maintain Romanian citizenship, which permits them to journey and work within the West.
Shortly after midnight on November 4, when it grew to become clear that her lead, boosted by votes from the Western diaspora, was irreversible, a jubilant Sandu informed her supporters, “Moldova, you might be victorious!”
“At the moment, expensive Moldovans, you have got given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in historical past books. At the moment, you have got saved Moldova! In our alternative for a dignified future, nobody misplaced,” she added.
Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general backed by the pro-Russian Socialist Get together, known as on his supporters to maintain calm after his preliminary lead narrowed as votes had been being counted from the massive cities and from Moldova’s Western diaspora.
“Democracy means, above all, maturity in dealing with the end result,” he stated.
However the Socialists later issued an announcement saying that they didn’t acknowledge Sandu’s victory as a result of it was based mostly on the votes from overseas.
“Maia Sandu is an illegitimate president, acknowledged solely by her sponsors and supporters overseas. The individuals of Moldova really feel betrayed and robbed,” the occasion stated in an announcement.
In Georgia, President Salome Zurabishvili applauded Sandu’s victory, voicing her admiration for the decisive function performed by the diaspora votes.
“Moldovan elections are the most effective ‘proof’ of stolen Georgia’s elections: regardless of related Russian interference and large rigging, Moldova was saved by 300,000 diaspora voters…our 1 million robust diaspora was barred. Solely 34 000 had been ‘allowed’ to vote,” Zurabishvili, who has been in opposition to the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream occasion, wrote on X.
The CEC reported that turnout surpassed 54 p.c, stronger than within the first spherical and in addition greater than within the 2020 presidential runoff.
In response to the CEC, international voting went to Sandu by a big margin, with the incumbent profitable 81 p.c to 19 p.c over the challenger. Votes in Chisinau additionally went to Sandu by a 57-43 margin.
Moldova has simply over 3 million registered voters, together with these within the diaspora. It additionally has a large Russian minority and a Moscow-backed separatist area, Transdniester, positioned on the left financial institution of the Dniester River.
The vote within the Western diaspora was additionally credited with serving to the “sure” facet eke out a razor-thin victory in an EU referendum held concurrently with the primary spherical on October 20.
A U.S.-educated, ex-World Financial institution official, Sandu, 52, grew to become Moldova’s first feminine president with a landslide victory in 2020, working on a powerful pro-EU message and vowing to battle corruption.
Stoianoglo, 57, from Gagauzia — a Turkic-speaking autonomous area of Moldova with pro-Russian sentiment — campaigned on a law-and-order theme, though critics slammed him for what they are saying was a failure to deal with high-level corruption throughout his time in workplace.