In a win for pro-EU groups in Moldova and beyond the incumbent President Maia Sandu beat her challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo in the country‘s runoff presidential on Nov. 3.
Sandu won the election on Nov. 3, with a margin of 54% to 45%.
Sandu told Chisinau reporters in the early morning hours of November 4.
She wasn’t only talking about Stoianoglo. Sandu has insisted for years that the Kremlin is the real enemy of her government and Moldova’s European path. The Kremlin has waged a hybrid warfare to push Chisinau into Moscow’s orbit.
In what Sandu called “a fraud on unprecedented proportions,” Russia is alleged to have been involved in a massive attempt to influence Moldovan elections, with the aim of unseating Sandu and quashing the nation’s EU ambitions.
Although her victory on November 3 was decisive, she wasn’t certain.
Many were shocked by Sandu’s failure in the first round on 20th October to secure a majority. In the same vote only 11,000 votes were cast in favor of enshrining Moldova’s EU accession pathway into the constitution.
Sandu’s chances of staying in power and accusations of electoral fraud grew as the president moved on to the November run-off.
Sandu, after the October 20 elections, said: “We fought fairly and won an unfair fight.”
“But the fight hasn’t ended.”
Bomb threats and bought vote
Prior to the referendum on Oct. 20, opinion polls showed that the majority of Moldovans favored the constitutional amendment to pave the way for the country to join the EU. Sandu and other Moldovans raised the alarm when the amendment passed with the slimmest margins.
The Moldovan authorities, as well as independent observers and officials from the EU, U.S. and other countries, cited a campaign of malign influence involving criminal networks, political groups and Russian-linked groups.
Moldovan lawmakers claim that Moscow spent millions of dollar backing Stoianoglo. Stoianoglo is a former top prosecutor who was supported by the pro Kremlin Party of Socialists.
Approximately $15 million in Russian money has been sent to 130,000 Moldovans. Voters were instructed on how they should cast their votes in the election. Ilan Shor, an Israeli-Moldovan tycoon and pro-Russian oligarch, was accused of laundering money and orchestrating a network.
Sandu stated in a press briefing before the referendum that as many as 300,000 votes could be linked to the bribery plan.
A source in the Moldovan government said that, prior to the runoff in November, Moscow could target polling stations abroad using disruptive tactics, such as bomb threats, to suppress the strongly pro-EU expatriate votes.
Stanislav Secrieru is Sandu’s national advisor for security. He said that the runoff presidential election was marked by “massive interfering”, including bomb threats, computer attacks, and coordinated voter transportation in the Russian-occupied Transnistria.
Secrieru, a commentator on X, said: “We are seeing massive interference from Russia in our electoral processes as Moldovans vote today in the presidential runoff–an attempt with a high potential to distort results.”
Secrieru posted photos, videos and other evidence of disruption. These included a voucher to a free restaurant meal for Moldovan diaspora in Moscow and organized voter transport efforts.
Secrieru declared that Sandu’s victory was a triumph of democracy when he won with a large margin despite the “unprecedented” interference.
“Moldovans have made their voices heard clearly and loudly.” “… Democracy has won.”
Sandu v. Moscow
This is not the first election that Sandu has accused of the Kremlin trying to remove her from power.
After the election of pro Western Sandu in 2020, Moscow’s influence on Moldova increased.
Sandu stated that in February 2023, Russia planned to overthrow Moldova’s government under the guise a protest that appeared organic but would turn violent. The plot was foiled, but the situation “was really dramatic.”
Sandu claimed in October 2023, that the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prgozhin, was directly involved in this plot. This plot was part of an effort to destabilize Moldova.
Sandu said that Russia wants to “overturn the constitutional order and change the legitimate power of Chisinau into an illegitimate power” which would place (Moldova), at Russia’s fingertips to stop the European Integration Process.
She said that the Kremlin hopes to use Moldova as a support for its full-scale invasion in Ukraine.
A leaked Russian document reportedly lays Moscow’s 10-year Moldova plan, a plan that envisions Russia gaining control of the country by 2030.
Transnistria, as a breakaway region, would be left alone and Russian troops would stay there. The Russian language and media must be widely used, as well as the Russian language becoming an official language.
Sandu’s victory will not stop the Kremlin from pursuing its ambitions in Chisinau. Georgia’s recent parliamentary election shows that fraud and intimidation campaigns can reverse a country’s progress away from Russia.
Sandu is happy to celebrate his victory for the moment.
“Moldova, you are victorious today,” she said on X.
“Together, our strength is in our unity, democracy and commitment to a future of dignity.”
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