CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — Long torn over closer ties with the European Union or maintaining Soviet-era relations with Moscow, Moldova faces a decisive choice in Sunday’s presidential elections held under the shadow of war in neighbouring Ukraine.
Pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu is the clear favourite against 10 other candidates in the country of 2.6 million that has increasingly been in the headlines since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Sandu and other high-ranking officials have accused Russia of trying to influence the presidential vote and a referendum on joining the EU organised the same day.
Sandu, 52, a former World Bank economist who beat a Moscow-backed incumbent in 2020 by a wider-than-expected margin, is credited with 36 percent of voting intentions, according to a recent poll by the WatchDog think tank.
Her main challenger, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a 57-year-old former prosecutor supported by the pro-Russian Socialists, is far behind at 10 percent.
But Sandu is unlikely to get 50 percent on Sunday, leading to a second round on November 3, which “should be tighter”, said WatchDog analyst Valeriu Pasha.
Under Sandu’s leadership, Moldova applied to join the EU shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the bloc kicked off accession talks with Chisinau this June.
In launching her candidacy, Sandu said it was her generation’s “mission to democratically and freely integrate Moldova into the great European family”.
“Moldova is no longer seen as the personal business of oligarchs or as a money laundering zone,” she said. “We can’t stop half-way.”AFP
On the other hand, Stoianoglo called for “restoring justice” in the face of “intimidation”, accusing “political villains” of using the Ukraine war as a pretext to clamp down on rights.
The referendum asks if the constitution should be modified to include joining the EU as an objective. Nearly 54 percent said in WatchDog’s poll they were in favour, while 35 percent were against it.
Almost half of those surveyed see Russia as a threat.
