On Sunday, Moldovan voters will choose their next president in a vote crucial to the country's geopolitical future.
During the first round, on October 20, outgoing President Maia Sandu came in first with 42% of the vote, while Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former pro-Russia attorney general, received 26% of the vote..
On the same day, the Moldovans voted by a narrow majority of 50.35% in favor of the country's accession to the EU, during a national referendum marred by suspicions of Russian interference.
The Moldovan authorities have indeed reported that a vote buying system was orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch living in Russia. The latter had already been convicted in absentia in 2023 for fraud and money laundering.
Prosecutors sayaround 35.8 million euros were channeled to more than 130,000 Moldovan voters through a Russian bank subject to international sanctions between September and October. Ilan Shor strongly denied these allegations.
Octavian Țîcu, a candidate in the first round of the presidential election who has since sided with Maia Sandu, also said the voting process was not “neither fair nor democratic”.
Voters from the breakaway region of Transnistria, where there is a large Russian military force, are allowed to vote in Moldova. Octavian Țîcu warns that if Russian troops move into the port city of Odessa, it could lead to the occupation of Moldova.
Widespread accusations of fraud
In Gagauzia, where EU support is weak, a doctor was arrested for allegedly buying the votes of several elderly people, as police uncovered financial evidence linked to a sanctioned Russian bank.
Anti-corruption efforts subsequently led to large cash seizures and investigations into electoral corruption involving numerous state employees.
At the same time, accusations of electoral fraud have also been made by pro-Russian factions.
Igor Dodon, a former Moldovan president close to Moscow, rejected the results of the referendum and criticized the presidency of Maia Sandu. The former leader says the elections were marred by fraud and foreign interference and believes that without judicial reforms, Moldova's future would be in jeopardy.
Emmanuel Macron supports the outgoing president
In a message published Friday on his X account, French President Emmanuel Macron urged Moldovan voters to re-elect Maia Sandu.
“In this decisive moment for Moldova and with it, for our Europe, I want to send Moldovan citizens a message of courage and hope”he declares. “The path of Europe is that of freedom and democracy, the foundations of a shared future. United we are stronger”.
Many citizens of this former Soviet republic aspire to move closer to the European Union, but part of the population remains attached to Russia and wishes to maintain good relations with Moscow.
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