Moldova’s pro-Western president wins vote overshadowed by Russian meddling claims

Moldova’s pro-Western president wins vote overshadowed by Russian meddling claims toggle caption Vadim Ghirda/AP CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race that was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud, and intimidation in the European Union candidate country. On Sunday, Moldovan police said they had “reasonable evidence” of organized transportation of voters — illegal under the country's electoral code — to polling stations from within the country and from overseas, and are “investigating and registering evidence in connection with air transport activities from Russia to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.” “Such measures are taken to protect the integrity of the electoral process and to ensure that every citizen’s vote is cast freely without undue pressure or influence,” police said. Moldova’s foreign ministry said on Sunday afternoon that polling stations in Frankfurt, Germany, and Liverpool and Northampton in the U.K. had been targeted by false bomb threats, which “intended only to stop the voting process.” Stanislav Secrieru, the president’s national security adviser, wrote on X: “We are seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process,” which he warned had a “high potential to distort the outcome” of the vote. After casting her ballot in Chisinau, Sandu told reporters: “Thieves want to buy our vote, thieves want to buy our country, but the power of the people is infinitely greater.” Outside a polling station in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, 20-year-old medical student Silviana Zestrea said the runoff would be a “definitive step” toward Moldova’s future.