CHISINAU — Moldova’s pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu claimed victory at Sunday’s closely-fought presidential election, defeating Alexandr Stoianoglo, her rival backed by the traditionally pro-Russian Socialist Party.
With 98% of the ballots counted, Sandu led Stoianoglo with 54.35%, the Central Election Commission said at the end of an election and campaign that were marred by persistent allegations of interference denied by Russia.
The victory for the 52-year-old ex-World Bank adviser, who has accelerated the nation’s push to leave Moscow’s orbit and join the European Union, is seen by her supporters as an endorsement of the resolutely pro-Western course she has tacked.
But Stoianoglo’s dominance across swathes of the country suggests her party faces a stiff challenge at key parliamentary elections next summer that will decide the composition of the government.
Stoianoglo campaigned saying he supported EU integration, but that he also wanted to develop ties with Russia in the national interest. Sandu portrayed him as a Trojan horse for the Kremlin’s interests, something he denied.
The future of Moldova, a poor agricultural nation that has alternated between pro-Russian and pro-Western courses since the 1991 Soviet breakup, has been in the spotlight since Russia began its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.
The vote was closely watched in Brussels a week after Georgia, another ex-Soviet state seeking membership, re-elected a ruling party regarded in the West as increasingly pro-Russian.
“Moldova, you are victorious! … In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost,” Sandu said in a conciliatory victory speech, in which she said she had to address the concerns of those who voted against her.
“I have heard your voice — both those who supported me and those who voted for Mr. Stoianoglo. I commit to being the president for all of you,” she said.
The vote marked the largest number of expatriate voters to take part in a Moldovan election since 2010 when the diaspora was first allowed to vote.
Inside Moldova’s borders, the results showed Sandu actually lost the election to Stoianoglo by a small margin of 48.8% versus his 51.2%. By contrast, she looked on course to win more than 80% of the diaspora vote, which was still being counted.
“The increased turnout in the diaspora paid off. It changed the balance of power,” said Ruslan Rokhov, a Ukrainian political analyst focused on Moldova.