RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Moldova stays on path to Europe

Maia Sandu wins a second term in office as president of the ex-Soviet, majority Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova.

Maia Sandu (Photo: presedinte.md)
Maia Sandu (Photo: presedinte.md)

, 04.11.2024, 14:00

Moldova’s pro-European president Maia Sandu won a new  4-year term in Sunday’s second round run-off, with over 55% of the votes cast in the presidential elections. Her rival, the former prosecutor general, Gagauzian ethnic Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was backed by the pro-Russian Socialists, won under 45%, the Central Electoral Commission in Chișinău announced. Both candidates also hold Romanian passports.

After casting her ballot, Maia Sandu said she was hoping voter turnout would be high so as to thwart the plans of “the thieves”, as she put it, “who want to steal the republic”. Prime minister Dorin Recean, whose government is formed by the presidential Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), said the interior ministry and other public institutions are working to prevent an attack on democracy in Moldova. He denounced the attacks of election fraud orchestrated by Russia and said “we are under attack from criminal groups who bought a large amount of votes and that’s why it is important to mobilise ourselves, to go out and vote, because our vote can defeat fraud”. Recean also said people must elect a leader “who will lead us to prosperity, to the European Union”.

Also on Sunday, Stoianoglo, responding to criticism that he is expressing himself with difficulty in Romanian, said mastering the Romanian language is not an obligatory condition for a presidential candidate. Some commentators say this statement, which is offensive for the Romanian-speaking majority in Moldova, further damaged his image. The ethnic Gagauzian population is a Turkic ethnic group of Christian Orthodox faith. They were settled in the south of today’s Moldova by the Tsarist regime, who displaced them from eastern Bulgaria two centuries ago. Linguists say that after WWII, the Gagauzian population was subjected to forced Russification by the Russian occupiers, on top of their isolation from the Romanian ethnic group, so today, they speak neither Romanian, nor their own Turkic language.

Europe has hailed Maia Sandu’s victory, including the head of the European Commission, Germany’s chancellor and the presidents of France, Ukraine and Romania. The president elect has promised to improve government in her second term, as she is aware that some people are dissatisfied with the situation in their country.

The Romanian analyst Armand Goșu, who is specialised in the ex-Soviet world, recalls that Moldova will host parliamentary elections in a few months’ time, which are equally important as the presidential elections, as Moldova is a semi-presidential republic in which the president has limited powers.

Tags:
The head of the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP), Toni Grebla
Today in the News Monday, 04 November 2024

Election campaigns in Romania

    The campaign for the general election in Romania started last week, at midnight on Thursday, and will end on 30 November. During this...

Election campaigns in Romania
November 1 - National Radio Day
Today in the News Friday, 01 November 2024

Radio Romania 96

Radio Romania has celebrated 96 years since it first entered the listeners houses from Romania and abroad. On November 1 1928 the Romanians were able...

Radio Romania 96
(Photo: pixabay@Engin_Akyurt)
Today in the News Thursday, 31 October 2024

Romanians’ concerns

Romanians and Austrians are the most satisfied with their lives among the inhabitants of Central and Eastern Europe, but the former are significantly...

Romanians’ concerns
Elections in Moldova (Photo: Radio Chișinău)
Today in the News Thursday, 31 October 2024

Republic of Moldova, crucial final

On November 3, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova have to choose, for the position of head of state, between the pro-European Maia Sandu, the...

Republic of Moldova, crucial final
Today in the News Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Drones, a security issue

The Romanian Ministry of National Defense has placed under decisional transparency a bill that improves airspace security measures. The bill, which...

Drones, a security issue
Today in the News Wednesday, 30 October 2024

The Fugitive Law is constitutional

The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) has rejected the referral of the High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ) in relation to the so-called...

The Fugitive Law is constitutional
Today in the News Tuesday, 29 October 2024

Challenges of an ageing population

Romanians are getting fewer and older.   The population of Romania in mid-2024 was 21,779,000, down 1% compared to June 1, 2023. According to...

Challenges of an ageing population
Today in the News Monday, 28 October 2024

Romania sees rising public debt levels

Government debt rose in July to over 876 billion lei (that’s around 175 billion euros), from 860 billion lei in the previous month, according to...

Romania sees rising public debt levels

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company