The United States is concerned about Russian interference ahead of the presidential runoff
The United States is concerned that Russia will again try to prevent the citizens of the Republic of Moldova from exercising their sovereign right to elect their president in the second round of the presidential election. The statement was made by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, a few days before the second round, scheduled for November 3.
According to a press release from the US State Department, Russia made every effort to undermine the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova, including through illicit financing, vote buying, disinformation and cyber attacks. The reference concerns both the presidential elections on October 20 and the referendum on European integration, where citizens voted to amend the Constitution in favor of joining the European Union.
The US reaffirmed its support for a free and democratic electoral process in the Republic of Moldova and strongly condemned any attempt to destabilize democracy.
Also, the United States congratulates the Moldovans for the massive participation in the presidential elections and the referendum on the accession to the European Union, which took place on Sunday, October 20. According to a statement, the Government and the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova managed the electoral process successfully, despite serious attempts by Russia to undermine its integrity, as noted by the OSCE/ODIHR Monitoring Mission.
The results of the first round of the presidential elections and the referendum on EU membership
According to the Central Electoral Commission in Chisinau, in the first round of the presidential elections, the current president Maia Sandu obtained 42.45% of the votes, ahead of her main opponent, the former general prosecutor Alexandr Stoianoglo, who registered 25.98%. Although Sandu leads in the electorate's preferences, this result was not enough to win in the first round, so a second round of voting will be held.
In parallel, the referendum on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union ended with a marginal result. According to the final data, 50.38% of voters voted in favor of the country's European path, reflecting a minimal margin of support for this political direction.
