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Moldova holds presidential run-off amid claims of Russian meddling

Results of election could determine whether Moldova forges closer ties with the EU or pivots back towards Russia

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An electoral billboard displaying Moldovan President Maia Sandu. Moldova holds the second round of its presidential election between Sandu and former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianogl. Photo: EPA-EFE
Reuters

A Moldovan security official accused Russia on Sunday of “massive interference” as Moldovans voted in a tightly fought presidential election that could see Moscow claw back influence in a country drawing closer to the European Union.

Pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu, who has accelerated the nation’s push to leave Moscow’s orbit and join the European Union (EU), faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, an ex-prosecutor general backed by the traditionally pro-Russian Socialist Party.
The fortunes of Sandu, who set Moldova on the long path of EU accession talks in June, is being closely watched in Brussels a week after Georgia, another ex-Soviet state seeking membership, re-elected a ruling party regarded in the West as increasingly pro-Russian.
A woman casts her vote in a mobile ballot box during a presidential election run-off, in the village of Ciopleni, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman casts her vote in a mobile ballot box during a presidential election run-off, in the village of Ciopleni, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The future of Moldova, a poor agricultural nation of fewer than 3 million people, has been in the spotlight since Russia began its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.
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“We’re seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process … an effort with high potential to distort the outcome,” Sandu’s national security adviser Stanislav Secrieru wrote on X.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow, which has denied past allegations of meddling. Moldova has accused Ilan Shor, a fugitive oligarch living in Russia, of spending millions of dollars to pay off voters to oppose Sandu. He denies wrongdoing.

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Stoianoglo says he supports EU integration, but also wants to develop ties with Russia in the national interest. He wants to renegotiate cheap Russian gas supplies and said he would meet with President Vladimir Putin if Moldovans wanted it.
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