Moldovans will elect a president in a decisive round marred by allegations of fraud and intimidation

KISHINEV – Moldovans vote in a crucial round of presidential elections on Sunday that pits pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu against a Russia-friendly opponent, as ongoing claims of election fraud and intimidation threaten democracy in the European Union candidate country.

In the first round, held on October 20, Sandu received 42% of the votes, but failed to achieve an absolute majority. She will face Alexander Stoianoglo, the former prosecutor general who topped polls in the first round with nearly 26% of the vote.

Polling stations opened on Sunday at 7am local time (0500 GMT) and will close at 21:00 (1900 GMT).

A poll published by research firm iData points to a tight race that is tilted towards a narrow victory for Sandu, a result that could depend on the large Moldovan diaspora. The role of the president provides significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security, and his term of office lasts four years.

The Moldovan diaspora played a key role in the national referendum, also held on October 20, when a slim majority of 50.35% voted to ensure Moldova’s path to EU membership. But the voting results, including Sunday’s vote, have been marred by allegations of a massive vote-buying and voter intimidation scheme.

Instead of receiving the overwhelming support that Sandu had hoped for, the results of both races showed that Moldova’s judicial system is unable to adequately protect the democratic process.

Moldova’s Prime Minister Dorin Recean said Friday that people across the country are receiving “anonymous death threats by telephone” in what he called an “extreme attack” to frighten voters in the former Soviet republic, which has a population of about 2.5 million. People.

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

Outside a polling station on Sunday in the Romanian capital Bucharest, 20-year-old medical student Silviana Zestrea said the second round would be a “decisive step” towards Moldova’s future.

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

After two October elections, Moldovan law enforcement authorities said the vote-buying scheme was orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch who lives in Russia and was convicted in absentia last year of fraud and money laundering. Shore denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors allege that between September and October, $39 million was paid to voters to more than 130,000 recipients through an internationally sanctioned Russian bank. In an attempt to crack down, anti-corruption authorities conducted hundreds of searches and seized more than $2.7 million (2.5 million euros) in cash.

In one case in Gagauzia, an autonomous part of Moldova where only 5% voted for the EU, a doctor was detained after he allegedly forced 25 nursing home residents to vote for a candidate they did not choose. Police said they had obtained “compelling 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 and vote because it was a “civic duty” and that they were not naming any candidates. “We use the goods that the country offers us – electricity, 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.”

Prosecutors also raided the political party’s headquarters on Thursday and said 12 people are suspected of paying voters to choose a candidate in the presidential race. A criminal case was also opened in which 40 government employees are suspected of receiving election bribes.

Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at the University of Auckland, told the AP that whatever the outcome of the second round, it “will not ease” geopolitical tensions. “On the contrary, I expect geopolitical polarization to be intensified by the 2025 legislative campaign,” he said.

Moldovan law enforcement agencies need more resources and better trained personnel working at a faster pace to combat election fraud, he added, 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 from Bucharest, said she voted for Sandu and cited concerns about corruption and voters’ lack of information about the two candidates.

“We want a European future for our country,” she said, adding that it offers “a lot of opportunity, development for our country… and I feel that if another candidate wins, it means we will take ten steps back as a country ” “

A pro-Western government has been in power in Moldova since 2021, and parliamentary elections will be held in 2025. Moldova watchers warn that next year’s vote could be Moscow’s main target.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied to join the EU. In June of that year he was granted candidate status, and Brussels agreed to begin membership negotiations in the summer of 2024. The sharp shift towards the West angered Moscow and significantly worsened relations with Chisinau.

Since then, Moldovan authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of waging a vast “hybrid war,” from growing disinformation campaigns to protests by pro-Russian parties and vote-buying schemes that undermine national elections. Russia denies interfering.

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