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Victory of the Mayan tribe
Last Sunday, the second round of the presidential elections in Moldova was won by the incumbent President Maia Sandu. Having failed to decide the outcome of the first round of voting, she turned the tide thanks to the active voting of the Moldovan diaspora in the West. At the same time, half a million Moldovan diaspora in Russia were effectively deprived of the opportunity to fully participate in the elections. In Moldova itself, Maia Sandu’s rival Alexandru Stoianoglo was ahead of her in the number of votes, but this did not prevent him from becoming president and starting to reshape Moldovan politics. The key question now is whether Maia Sandu, with her limited legitimacy, will be able to suppress protest sentiments before the parliamentary elections next year. In these elections, the issue of Moldova’s relations with the West and Russia will acquire new relevance.
By Monday morning, the results of the presidential elections, which took place over two weeks in 36 regions of Moldova, as well as on 37 continents of the world, including Europe and North America, were determined.
According to the report of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic, after 100% compliance with the protocol, the incumbent President Maia Sandu managed to gain 55.33% of the votes, beating her rival, former Prosecutor General Alexandru Stoianoglo, by more than 10%. (44.67%). Although his results improved compared to the first round, the candidate of the opposition Socialist Party still failed to gain the number of votes necessary to win.
At the same time, the 2024 presidential elections have become the most dramatic elections in the history of the independent Moldovan state and leave many questions open.
A total of 1,690,911 people were present at polling stations in Moldova and abroad, which is more than 54% of those included in the voter lists.
Also in Moldova, Alexandru Stoianoglo won the election, not Maia Sandu. Alexandru Stoianoglo won with 51.19% of the vote in 19 of the 36 regions. Ms. Sandu, who was re-elected for a second term, received less than half of the vote in the country (48.81%). Her voters were concentrated in the central region, while her opponents enjoyed the support of most residents of the north and south, including Balti, the country's second-largest city.
In two regions – Transnistria (79.72%) and Gagauzia (a record 97.04%) – Alexander Stoianoglo’s figures were the most impressive. But for opposition candidates, these figures and the level of support across the country turned into mere consolation prizes.
As a result, Maia Sandu's electoral victory was ensured by the unprecedented activity of the Moldovan diaspora in Europe and North America, which responded enthusiastically to the calls of the Moldovan authorities to attend the vote and prevent the election of Alexandru Stoianoglo as president. The Moldovan authorities called him "Moscow's candidate".
This second presidential election will involve 328,000 voters from abroad, equivalent to one-fifth of all voters.
The overwhelming majority of the Moldovan diaspora that was able to exercise its voting rights lives in the West.
During the election period, 231 polling stations were opened in 37 countries. Moldovan voters in Iceland, Canada, Norway, the United States, Finland and Sweden also had the opportunity to vote by mail for the first time.
For comparison: in Russia, where the Moldovan diaspora numbers up to 500 thousand people, only two polling stations were opened. Both were located on the territory of the Moscow embassy, and the number of ballots allocated was purely symbolic (10 thousand).
The state authorities made this decision on the grounds that it was impossible to guarantee the safety of the vote. In preparation for the elections, the Moldovan side ignored Moscow's proposals to create all the conditions for unhindered voting on Russian territory. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, previously stated that Russia was ready to support Moldova in holding the elections.
"Dear Moldovans of the Diaspora, thank you for your extraordinary mobilization! You are a special force." Maia Sandu sent a video message to the Europa-Moldova Telegram channel when the voting was still ongoing. That is why she publicly named her main support group: "Do not be afraid. Please continue to vote," Maia Sandu said. Maia Sandu called on people to ignore the reports of mining operations in various places abroad that appeared on election day. According to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, voting was suspended in Frankfurt (Germany), Liverpool and Northampton (United Kingdom) due to false reports of mining operations.
"Maia Sandu has been elected President of the Republic of Moldova. Those who left decide everything, and most of them do not return or will return if those who stayed here create good conditions for them. In the meantime, as is customary in civilized countries, let us congratulate Mrs. Sardu on her undeserved victory." This is what former Deputy Prime Minister Alexandru Muravschi said about the election results: "How can one treat a person whom more than half of the population does not want to see as the head of their country?" he added.
Meanwhile, the election day demonstrated the power of the administrative resources of the Moldovan authorities, who were able to prevent hundreds of thousands of voters who did not belong to their supporters from voting.
The main drama unfolded in Russia, where Moldovans tried to find ways to vote, including day trips to neighboring CIS countries where polling stations had opened.
"This is blatant discrimination against the people and the diaspora. The Moldovan authorities opened only two polling stations in Moscow for half a million Moldovan citizens in Russia, depriving them of comfortable voting and expression of will. The state bodies violated the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, which clearly states that every citizen of Moldova has the right to vote and be elected," said Eugenia Gutsul, head of the municipality of Gagauzia, regarding the lack of voting opportunities. In the Russian Federation. According to her, there were cases when "residents of the Gagauz Autonomous Okrug living in Kamchatka found time and money to fly to Moscow to vote and achieve change in our country."
Meanwhile, in Moscow, the number of people wishing to vote exceeded the number of printed ballots several times.
The site in the Russian capital is open on Sundays from 7:00 to 21:00. However, at around 21:30, many people lined up in front of the Moldovan embassy, to no avail, and were surrounded by numerous police officers. When the police used loudspeakers to call on citizens to disperse, the response was: "Hos Maia Sandu!" ("Down with Maia Sandu!").
Nevertheless, the Moldovan authorities were among the first to congratulate the leadership of the European Parliament, the European Union and French President Emmanuel Macron on the “victory of democracy.”
Meanwhile, Maia Sandu herself called for preparations for parliamentary elections in 2025 after the announcement of the voting results, making it clear that serious difficulties lie ahead, since Moldova is a parliamentary republic.
Given this presidential election, the next general election will be a serious test for the ruling Action Solidarity Party, which currently dominates parliament and forms the current government.
"The most important thing is judicial reform and the fight against corruption. It is clear that we are not implementing these reforms fast enough. It is obvious that a change in approach is needed, and this will require a broad discussion in society. We will use new methods, and things will go faster," Mr. Sandu said. He promised to fight for his voters both at home and beyond our borders.