EU leaders exult at Moldovan president’s reelection as pro-Russian opposition whines

European leaders congratulated Moldova’s pro-EU leader Maia Sandu on her re-election as president Sunday following a race which featured claims of Russian interference, voter fraud and intimidation.
Sandu won 55.35 percent of votes compared to 44.65 percent for her pro-Russian opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo. Her victory was confirmed Monday by the country’s Central Electoral Commission.
Coming as it did a mere two weeks after a tense referendum on the country’s EU membership, in which the “Yes” camp beat “No” by 10,000 votes, or seven-tenths of a percent, Sandu’s triumph prompted an outpouring of relief from EU capitals.
“Democracy has triumphed over all interference and maneuvers. France will continue to stand by Moldova on its European path,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that Sandu had won “despite Russia’s aggressive and massive interference … Let’s hope that this trend will continue in the coming days and months in other countries as well.”
“Congratulations to Maia Sandu for her re-election as president of the Republic of Moldova,” wrote Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose country is one of the top destinations for Moldovans living abroad.
The bloc’s top leadership was also fulsome in its praise for Sandu.
“It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you’ve faced in this election,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Moldovans have shown once again their determination to build a European future despite hybrid attempts to undermine democracy,” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell chimed in, with a dig at Russia.
“The people of Moldova have reaffirmed their trust in your leadership, stability and commitment to a European future,” wrote European Council President Charles Michel.
Moldova has found itself under enormous pressure since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, as Moscow has resorted to energy blackmail and voter intimidation to prise Chișinău away from the West. The ordeal has only brought Moldova closer to Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Sandu during a phone call Monday and invited her to visit Ukraine. “We reaffirmed our commitment to work together on our path to a common goal — membership in the European Union. We coordinated our next steps, and I invited President Sandu to visit Ukraine,” he wrote.
Moldova’s pro-Russian socialist party, on the other hand, called Sandu “an illegitimate president” on Monday, claiming Stoianoglo had won the majority of votes cast within the country. (Moldova’s diaspora includes hundreds of thousands of nationals living mainly in Romania, Ukraine, Italy and Germany; a record 327,000 votes were cast from abroad on Sunday, 82 percent of them for Sandu.)
“Maia Sandu is an illegitimate president, recognized only by her sponsors and supporters abroad. The Moldovan people feel betrayed and robbed,” the socialists wrote in a statement.
“Alexandr Stoianoglo, the president of the people of Moldova, won the real victory in the presidential elections,” the statement continued. “The Socialist Party of the Republic of Moldova does not recognize the vote from sections abroad, because of which Sandu was declared the winner.”