Moldovan elections: President Sandu declares victory.
With a narrow margin, President Sandu declared victory in the Moldovan election.
According to RIA Novosti on November 4th, Moldova's current President, Maia Sandu, declared victory in the second round of the presidential election.
Moldova's incumbent president, Maia Sandu, who is backed by the pro-Western Solidarity and Action Party, defeated opposition Socialist Party candidate Alexander Stoianoglo in the second round of the election, the Moldovan Central Election Commission reported after processing 95% of the protocol from polling stations.
Previously, the opposition candidate was leading by a narrow margin. Currently, Ms. Sandu has 51.68% of the vote, while former Attorney General Stoianoglo has 48.32%.
Moldovan President Sandu adheres to a policy of European integration, sanctions against Russia, and tighter control over the media to combat disinformation. Sandu submitted Moldova's application to join the EU in 2022. EU accession negotiations began last June.
Conversely, during his election campaign, former Prosecutor General Stoyanoglo focused on maintaining a pragmatic relationship with Moscow, even though he supported European integration. He stated that Russia is important to the Moldovan economy and considered it a crucial partner with whom stable cooperation was necessary to avoid the negative consequences of sanctions and crises.
In the first round, which took place on October 20th, incumbent President Sandu won 42.49% of the votes, while former Attorney General Stoianoglo received 25.95%.
The outcome of the vote is expected to shape the Moldovan parliamentary elections to be held next summer, when Sandu's ruling party is expected to fight to retain its majority and determine the composition of the future government.
