“The Moldovan people have reaffirmed their faith in your country’s leadership, stability and commitment to Europe’s future,” wrote European Council President Charles Michel.
Moldova has found itself under tremendous pressure since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has resorted to energy blackmail and voter intimidation to keep Chisinau away from the West. This ordeal has only brought Moldova closer to Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy congratulated Sandu in a phone conversation on Monday and invited him to visit Ukraine. “We reaffirmed our determination to work together towards the common goal of joining the European Union. We coordinated next steps and invited President Sandu to visit Ukraine,” he wrote. .
Meanwhile, Moldova’s pro-Russian Socialist Party claimed on Monday that Stoianoglo had won a majority of the votes cast in the country and called Sandu an “illegitimate president.” (Moldova’s diaspora includes hundreds of thousands of citizens, mainly living in Romania, Ukraine, Italy and Germany.On Sunday, a record 327,000 votes were cast from abroad, 82% of which I voted for Sandhu.
“Maia Sandu is an illegitimate president, recognized only by her sponsors and supporters abroad. The Moldovan people feel betrayed and robbed,” the socialists said in a statement.
“The President of the Moldovan people, Alexander Stoianogulo, achieved a real victory in the presidential election,” the statement continued. “The Socialist Party of the Republic of Moldova does not allow votes from overseas branches. That is why Sandu was declared the winner.”
