After counting more than 40 percent of the ballot papers, the 52-year-old came to 35 percent, as the electoral commission announced on Sunday evening. Her opponent Moldova's president says the country's elections were attacked”>Alexandr Stoianoglo received almost 30 percent of the vote. In the referendum held at the same time on a constitutional change in favor of EU accession, the majority voted no.
The referendum asked whether the constitution should be amended to include EU accession as a goal. According to the partial results, 56 percent voted no and 44 percent voted yes. However, the trend could still reverse, as many votes still had to be counted in the pro-European capital Chisinau.
Runoff election on November 3rd
The runoff election between Sandu and Stoianoglo will take place on November 3rd. Sandu has been in office in the former Soviet republic since 2020. The former World Bank economist broke off relations with Russia and applied to join the EU in 2022 shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine. Official accession talks between Brussels and Chisinau have been ongoing since June. Stoianoglo, candidate of the Russia-friendly Socialists, said during the election campaign that he represented a “balanced foreign policy” and was the only candidate who was controlled “neither by the East nor the West.”
Moldova borders Ukraine and Romania. Since Russia’s war against Ukraine began in February 2022, many Moldovans have feared that Russia could attack their country next. Many are also concerned about the situation in the Russian-speaking region of Transnistria, which split off from Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
This article was updated at 10:58 p.m
