The President of Moldova celebrates the pro-European Union result in the referendum, which was marred by accusations of Russian interference

According to the Electoral Commission in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, the first round of the presidential elections ended with Maia Sandu winning 42% of the votes. His main rival, Alexander Stoyangelo, a former prosecutor general backed by the pro-Russian Socialists, received much higher than expectations: 26%. The two will face each other in the second round on November 3.

“We have a great chance to win on November 3 and we will do so,” Stoyanoglu, 57, told reporters at his party’s headquarters, describing the vote’s result as a “sounding and shameful failure” for the government.

Sandu’s critics say she has not done enough to reform the judiciary and combat inflation in one of Europe’s poorest countries. In his campaign, Stoyanoglu, who was fired as prosecutor by Sandu, argued for “restoring justice” and promised to adopt a “balanced foreign policy.”

Sunday’s election exposed “deep divisions” in the country, according to an assessment by Marta Moznik, a senior analyst at the European Union Crisis Group, for whom the impact of pro-Russian disinformation campaigns was “clear”.

“Both Brussels and Chisinau must prepare for further tensions and reconsider their strategies if they want to effectively advance the EU membership project,” Moznik said.

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