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The Moldova second round run-off election for its new president appears to be headed for a win for the pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu amid accusations of foreign interference that marred the process.
Sandu had won the most votes in the first round held last week but failed to achieve a majority and thus triggered the run-off against Alexandr Stoianoglo, whom Sandu fired as prosecutor general in 2023.
However, voters turned out in record numbers, especially diaspora votes, according to Sandu’s post on X. According to the official government vote tracker, with just shy of 98 percent of the vote counted, Sandu has nearly an eight-point lead, with 54.35 percent of the vote compared to 45.65 percent for Stoianoglo.
Even before voters went to the polls in October, however, officials leveled accusations of Russian interference. The Kremlin has previously denied interference and demanded evidence of Sandu’s claims – claims she renewed as voters cast their ballots on Sunday.
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“We’re seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process as Moldovans vote in the presidential runoff today—an effort with high potential to distort the outcome. Authorities are on high alert,” Moldovan security adviser Stanislav Secrieru wrote on X.
Moldova’s election run-off follows a referendum to change the constitution and allow a pathway to European Union (EU) membership, which passed by a sliver of a margin with 50.46 percent of voters supporting the measure.
The country, which sits along Ukraine’s southwest border, has taken on greater importance following the win by Georgia’s incumbent pro-Russian party. Europe worries that if the Kremlin gains a foothold through Moldova it could complicate matters for Ukraine and the bloc as a whole – especially with EU membership a possibility.
“A future pro-Russian government of Moldova that is a full member of the EU, could, along with its MEPs, similarly try to influence EU policy on Russian sanctions, energy imports and security,” Jeremy Holt, head of Central and Eastern Europe at geopolitical and cyber risk consultancy S-RM, previously told Newsweek.
This is a developing news story and will be updated with more information.