Moldova's pro-EU president hails victory in 'unfair fight' against Moscow

Photo: Daniel Mihailescu Agence France-Presse Moldovan President Maia Sandu casts her vote in the first round of the presidential election and referendum on European Union membership on Sunday.

Ani Sandu – Agence France-Presse and Anne Beade – Agence France-Presse in Chisinau and Vienna respectively

Posted at 15:01 Updated at 15:06

• Europe

Outgoing Moldovan President Maia Sandu hailed the victory of the “yes” vote in the referendum on EU membership on Monday, obtained narrowly despite “an unfair fight” and “sordid interference”, with Moscow in its sights.

Faced with these “serious accusations”, the Kremlin demanded “proof”, while denouncing “anomalies” in the counting of the votes in the referendum.

“We have won a first battle in a difficult fight that will determine the future of our country”, declared the 52-year-old leader on Facebook, sounding the mobilization for the second round of the presidential election in early November.

After a long race in the lead of the “no”, the “yes” finally took the upper hand (50.46%), by a few thousand votes, thanks to the vote of the diaspora, according to the results published by the Electoral Commission.

In her first official reaction in the middle of the night, the head of state had already castigated an “unprecedented assault on democracy” and promised “not to give in”.

“Criminal groups, acting in concert with foreign forces hostile to our national interests, attacked our country with tens of millions of euros, lies and propaganda” to deceive and corrupt voters, declared Ms. Sandu, her face serious.

The European Commission, which is closely following the vote, spoke of “an unprecedented context of interference and intimidation by Russia”. “Hybrid strategies” that did not prevent Moldova from confirming its desire for a “European future”, welcomed its president Ursula von der Leyen.

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“Russia did not succeed” in undermining the elections in Moldova although it “worked energetically” in this direction, a White House spokesperson reacted on Monday. “We know there is a second round and we expect the Russians to try to influence” the vote, he added.

The Council of Europe, which sent observers, judged that the polls had been “well managed” despite “serious attempts to undermine their integrity.”

And in Berlin, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that international aid to Moldova in the face of Russia's “hybrid war” could have “made a difference.”

A difficult second round is coming

Maia Sandu, who turned her back on Moscow after the invasion of neighboring Ukraine and brought to Brussels the candidacy of Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 2.6 million inhabitants, had called this referendum to validate her strategy. A risky bet.

Because this victory on the wire, without calling into question the accession negotiations with the Twenty-Seven, “in some way weakens the pro-European image of the population and the leadership of Maia Sandu”, comments for the AFP the French political scientist Florent Parmentier, specialist in the region.

The first woman to hold the highest office in 2020, this former World Bank economist with a reputation for incorruptibility has become a leading European figure in four years.

In a complicated geopolitical environment, with the Russian war in Ukraine and Georgia accused of pro-Russian authoritarianism, Moldova gave Brussels reason to hope, the expert emphasizes.

However, after this highly contested referendum, Ms. Sandu's success in the second round on November 3 is far from assured.

With 42% of the vote, she is well ahead of Alexandr Stoianoglo (26%), a 57-year-old former prosecutor supported by the pro-Russian socialists. But this one can count on the reserves of votes of small candidates.

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“We have a good chance of winning on November 3 and we will win,” he said at the party headquarters, deriding the government for its “resounding and shameful failure.”

During the campaign, this stern-looking man had called for “restoring justice” in the face of a government that, according to the opposition, did not hesitate to infringe on rights and advocated for a “balanced” foreign policy, from the EU to Russia.

In the streets of Chisinau, the capital, residents welcomed a successful “electoral test” for Moldova, despite the “difficulties”, while others expressed their concern about the too marked Western turn taken under Maia Sandu.

This double vote “highlighted the deep divisions” in the country, Crisis Group analyst Marta Mucznik commented in a note, calling on Brussels and Chisinau to “review their strategy” against a backdrop of “growing tensions”.

Between corruption and disinformation operations, the Moldovan police have conducted 350 searches in recent months and arrested hundreds of suspects accused of wanting to disrupt the electoral process on behalf of Moscow.

A massive vote-buying system has been revealed, targeting up to a quarter of the voters expected at the polls. With the oligarch Ilan Shor, who took refuge in Moscow after a conviction for fraud, at the helm.