The United States offers its “deepest congratulations” to Maia Sandu on her reelection as President of Moldova. In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called her winning a second term by popular vote “a historic achievement.”
The run-off election in the former Soviet republic took place on November 3. Pro-Western incumbent Sandu was the clear victor over her opponent Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was supported by the pro-Russian Socialist party. The election was held two weeks after a referendum in which Moldovans backed their country’s bid to join the European Union by a thin margin. Reports of Russian interference in the presidential election were widespread.
In a separate statement congratulating President Sandu on her victory, u.S. President Joe Biden said, “[T]he Moldovan went to the polls
and voted in favor of President Sandu’s vision for a secure, prosperous, and democratic Moldova. ... For months, Russia sought to undermine Moldova’s democratic institutions and election processes. But Russia failed. The Moldovan people have exercised their democratic right to choose their own future, and they have chosen to pursue a path aligned with Europe and democracies everywhere.”
Secretary Blinken put it this way: “The Moldovan people have spoken. They are intent on continuing to forge a European and democratic path, and their high level of participation in this election reflects this commitment. Moldova won [November 3], and the Kremlin’s attempts to subvert the will of the Moldovan people failed.
“We stand with the people of Moldova,” Secretary Blinken declared, “as they continue their democratic, prosperous, and European future.”
