Moldovans will elect a president in a decisive runoff overshadowed by claims of fraud and intimidation

CHISHINAV, Moldova – Moldovans cast ballots in Sunday’s presidential runoff pitting pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu against a Russia-friendly opponent amid continuing claims of voter fraud and intimidation they threaten democracy in a country candidate for the European Union.

In the first round took place on October 20Sandu received 42% of the votes, but failed to obtain a clear majority. Her opponent will be Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general who scored better than the polls in the first round, winning almost 26% of the votes.

Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Sunday and will close at 9:00 p.m. (1900 GMT).

A poll published by research firm iData indicates a tight race that is leaning toward a narrow victory for Sandu, and the outcome may depend on Moldova’s large diaspora. The president’s role carries significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security, and his term lasts four years.

Moldova’s diaspora played a key role in the national referendum also held on October 20, when a narrow majority (50.35%) voted to secure Moldova’s path to EU membership. But the results of the vote, including Sunday’s vote, are as follows overshadowed by allegations of a large-scale vote-buying program and voter intimidation.

Instead of winning the overwhelming support Sandu had hoped for, the results in both races showed that the Moldovan justice system is unable to adequately protect citizens democratic process.

On Friday, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said people across the country had received “anonymous death threats via telephone calls,” an “extreme attack” intended to intimidate voters in the former Soviet republic of about 2.5 million people. People.

“These acts of intimidation have only one purpose: to cause panic and fear,” Recean said in a statement posted on social media. “I assure you that state institutions will ensure order and protect citizens.”

On Sunday outside a polling station in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, 20-year-old medical student Silviana Zestrea said the second round would be the “final step” towards Moldova’s future.

“People need to understand that we have to choose a real candidate who will meet our expectations,” she said. “Because I think even though we are a diaspora now, none of us really wanted to leave.”

Following the two October votes, Moldovan law enforcement authorities concluded that the vote-buying scheme was organized by Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch living in Russia, and was convicted in absentia last year fraud and money laundering. Shor denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say a Russian bank under international sanctions paid $39 million to more than 130,000 voter recipients between September and October. In an attempt to crack down on corruption, anti-corruption authorities carried out hundreds of searches and seized more than $2.7 million (€2.5 million) in cash.

In one case in Gagauzia, an autonomous part of Moldova where only 5% voted for the EU, a doctor was detained after allegedly forcing 25 residents of an elderly care home to vote for a candidate they did not choose. Police said they obtained “conclusive evidence” including financial transfers from the same Russian bank.

On Saturday at a church in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, Father Vasily told the Associated Press that he was urging people to go out and vote because it is a “civic duty” and that they were not naming any candidates. “We use the goods that the country offers us – light, gas,” he said. “Whether we like what the government is doing or not, we have to go out and vote. …The Church always prays for peace.”

On Thursday, prosecutors also searched the headquarters of a political party and found that 12 people were suspected of paying voters to choose a candidate in the presidential race. A criminal case was also initiated in which 40 employees of state agencies are suspected of accepting electoral bribes.

Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, told the AP that regardless of the outcome of the runoff, it “will not reduce” geopolitical tensions. “On the contrary, I expect that the campaign for the 2025 legislative elections will strengthen geopolitical polarization,” he said.

He added that Moldovan law enforcement agencies need more resources and better-trained staff working at a faster pace to combat voter fraud in order to “create an environment in which anyone tempted to buy or sell votes knows that the consequences will be clear and swift.” .

Savlina Adasan, a 21-year-old economics student in Bucharest, says she voted for Sandu, citing concerns about corruption and voters being underinformed about both candidates.

“We want a European future for our country,” she said, adding that it offers “many opportunities, development for our country… and I feel that if the other candidate wins, it will mean that we will take ten steps back as a country.”

From 2021, a pro-Western government will be in power in Moldova, and parliamentary elections will be held in 2025. Moldova observers warn that Moscow’s main goal may be next year’s elections.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied for EU membership. It obtained candidate status in June this year, and in the summer of 2024, Brussels agreed to it start membership negotiations. The sharp shift westward irritated Moscow and significantly damaged relations with Chisinau.

Since then, Moldovan authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of waging a massive “hybrid war,” ranging from widespread disinformation campaigns, to protests by pro-Russian parties, to vote-buying programs that undermine nationwide elections. Russia denies meddling in the matter.

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Stephen McGrath reported from Bucharest, Romania; Nicolae Dumitrache from Comrat, Moldova.