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Maia Sandu has become the President of Moldova again
She won her second election. This is evidenced by the data of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic after processing 99% of the protocols. At the same time, the majority of voters in Moldova voted for Alexander Stoianoglo. The advantage in favor of the current president was ensured by the votes of citizens living abroad.
Maia Sandu won the second round of the Moldovan presidential elections. The current head of state received more than 55% of the votes, while her opponent, former Prosecutor General Alexandru Stoianoglo, received about 45%. These data are available at the CEC after processing more than 99% of the protocol.
Sandu defeated her opponents at the expense of foreign voters. At polling stations organized outside Moldova, 82.5% of the country's citizens voted for her, and just over 17% for Stoianoglo. The situation is the exact opposite of the domestic results. There, Sandu's opponents won in 19 of 36 districts, gaining over 51% of the votes. At the same time, in Gagauzia, the former prosecutor received 97% of support, and voters in Transnistria voting on Moldovan territory gave him almost 80% of the votes.
Political scientist Vitaly Andrievskiy, director of the Institute for Effective Politics in Chisinau, comments on the results of the second round:
The final voter turnout exceeded 54%. In total, more than 304,000 Moldovan citizens exercised their right to vote at polling stations abroad and almost 1,007,000 took part in the elections.
Chisinau journalist Dmitry Chubashenko talks about the voting and election results, including at polling stations abroad:
Many foreign politicians have already congratulated Maia Sandu on her victory, especially the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. He said that the Moldovan people "showed the future of Europe."
Earlier, after the first round, observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said that the contenders were not in equal conditions. In their opinion, combining the EU membership referendum with the presidential elections would allow Sandu to start the election campaign early and use state resources. As a result, the Moldovan Central Election Commission said that it would analyze the election law and propose amendments.
Yevgeny Minchenko, political scientist, head of the communications department of Minchenko Consulting and director of the Institute of International Politics, discusses the upcoming parliamentary elections and the prospects of the ruling party.
When Maia Sandu's victory was announced, she promised to be a president for all voters and said Moldova needed social unity.
Prime Minister Stoianoglo, who lost the election, called on his fellow citizens to remain calm, saying that everyone's voice deserves respect. He also stressed that Moldova needs stability and that in the country's future "there is no place for senseless conflicts, but unity and mutual respect."