Presidential election in Moldova | Pro-European President Maia Sandu in the lead

(Chisinau) Two weeks after the “yes” victory in the referendum on the EU, Moldova confirmed its European trajectory on Sunday by reappointing its president Maia Sandu after a tense election against a backdrop of suspicions of Russian interference.

“Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy worthy of appearing in the history books,” she said at her campaign headquarters, in a charged atmosphere.

The 52-year-old candidate received 54.9% of the vote, compared to 45% for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a 57-year-old former prosecutor supported by the pro-Russian socialists, according to the quasi-final results published by the Electoral Commission.

Although he initially led, the trend reversed as the votes were counted. The man his adversaries call a “man from Moscow” did not speak during the night, but had called a little earlier for “calm”.

During the campaign, M^me Sandu has continued to warn against “unprecedented” foreign interference, notably through massive vote buying which marred the referendum on the EU two weeks ago, according to Chisinau, but also Brussels and Washington. The Kremlin “categorically” rejected these “serious” allegations.

Alexandr Stoianoglo, former attorney general dismissed from his post last year, pleads for balanced relations both with the West and with Russia. He denied “having links with the Kremlin” and any involvement “in electoral fraud”.

As during the recent legislative elections in Georgia, another former Soviet republic, Russia was accused of interference in the electoral process, allegations categorically rejected by the Kremlin.

But this time the outcome was favorable to the pro-EU camp. Brussels reacted very quickly, with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, saying she was “happy to continue working” with Maia Sandu for a “European future”.

French President Emmanuel Macron was delighted that “democracy” had “triumphed over all interference and all maneuvers”.

“Against the scammers”

The first woman to occupy, in 2020, the highest functions in this state located between NATO and the Russian sphere of influence, M^me Sandu turned his back on Vladimir Putin after the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine and made a sharp shift towards the West.

She came well ahead of the first round on October 20, but her rival was able to count on the support of several small candidates to narrow the gap.

He even won on the territory of Moldova alone, but the mobilization of the large diaspora “tipped the election”, commented for AFP the French political scientist Florent Parmentier, a specialist in the region.

“Maia Sandu owes her survival to the diaspora, a result which reveals a dependence on the outside” for this head of state who has traveled to European capitals in recent months, he adds.

In her victory speech, she praised a country that had “united” in the face of “an unprecedented attack” by “hostile and criminal forces”. Before concluding with words in Russian as a sign of openness towards those who have not chosen it.

Throughout the day, the authorities reported “attempts at destabilization”.

The police said they were investigating the alleged establishment by Russia of “organized transports” to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey to allow voters residing on its soil to go and vote in the Moldovan consulates or embassies of these countries. . Cyberattacks and false bomb threats have also been reported.

“Let Europe be our home”

By voting with his wife and two daughters, Alexandr Stoianoglo denied “having links with the Kremlin” and any involvement “in electoral fraud”.

He defended “a Moldova which does not ask for alms, but develops harmonious relations with both the East and the West”.

In this extremely polarized poor country, voters interviewed by AFP offer a contrasting picture.

“We are a small country with a big heart and we want Europe to be our home,” summarizes Natalia Grajdeanu, a 45-year-old wedding planner who came from Ireland to vote.

But others, like Grigore Gritcan, a retiree from the separatist region of Transdniestria, are reluctant. He pleads for “more freedom and true peace”, while currently “people have nothing to eat and no work”.

Moldova has suffered the full brunt of the consequences of the war in Ukraine, from the influx of refugees to the explosion in energy costs.

“This is the first target of Russia’s hybrid war,” said Andrei Curararu of the WatchDog think tank.

“Despite everything, Moldova has demonstrated on two occasions that its desire to join the EU was stronger than pressure from Moscow,” he added, stressing that “to stay on this course, the country will need ‘help “. With the sights set on crucial legislative elections in the summer of 2025.