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2024 Moldovan presidential election

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2024 Moldovan presidential election
← 2020 20 October 2024 (1st round)
3 November 2024 (2nd round)		 2028 →
Turnout51.74% (first round)
 
Candidate Maia Sandu Alexandr Stoianoglo
Party Independent[a] Independent
Alliance PAS PSRM
First round 656,852
42.49% 		401,215
25.95%
Results by first-level administrative divisions, sectors of Chișinău and abroad
Sandu:      30–35%      35–40%      40–45%      45–50%      50–55%      55–60%      70–75%
Stoianoglo:      25–30%      30–35%      35–40%      40–45%      45–50%
Usatîi:      30–40%
Incumbent President

Maia Sandu
PAS



Politics of Moldova

Government of Moldova

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Presidential elections were held in Moldova on 20 October 2024,[1][2] with a runoff to be held on 3 November.[3] Incumbent president Maia Sandu and former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo advanced to the runoff, with Sandu winning the first round with about 42% and Stoianoglo winning about 26%.[4]

The Guardian described the election as a choice between the West and Russia, with Sandu representing the pro-European Union side and Stoianoglo the pro-Russian side.[5] According to Moldovan newspaper ZDG, Victoria Furtună, who came in fifth, was a pro-Russian candidate.[6]

In addition on the same day a narrow majority of Moldovans voted "yes" to add EU membership to the country's constitution. This was seen as a victory for Sandu who campaigned for the "yes" side, although the result was closer than expected, a fact Sandu blamed on alleged Russian-sponsored interference on the election, including vote buying organised by Russian-trained groups.[7] International observers also noted misuse of administrative resources and unbalanced media coverage in favor of the incumbent.

Electoral system

Date

On 17 April 2024, Parliament speaker Igor Grosu announced the holding of the presidential election in conjunction with the referendum on joining the European Union (EU) on 20 October.[1] The decision was approved by the Parliament of Moldova on 16 May.[8][9]

Eligibility requirements

The Constitution of Moldova (Article 78, Clause 2) defines four conditions that a presidential candidate must satisfy: Moldovan citizenship, at least 40 years of age, residence in Moldova for at least 10 years, and ability to speak the state language. Article 80 of the Constitution establishes a term limit: one individual cannot serve more than 2 terms in a row.[10]

Procedure

Candidates can be nominated by a political party, an electoral alliance, or run as independents. They have to collect at least 15,000 voter signatures in their support from at least half of Moldova's level 2 administrative territorial units with at least 600 signatures in each of them.[11] The election results can be considered valid only if the turnout is above or equal to 33.33%.[12] The candidate who receives an absolute majority of the votes is elected president. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a second round between the top 2 candidates is held two weeks after the first round. The candidate with the largest number of votes in the second round then becomes president.[13]

Security concerns

Moldovan authorities have accused Russian-trained groups of plotting to destabilise the election.[14]

In June 2024, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada issued a joint statement on Russian influence within the Moldovan election.[15][16][17][18] At the same time, the US also announced sanctions against the Governor of Gagauzia Evghenia Guțul, who it alleged is an "active facilitator" of Russian-backed election influence.[19]

In September 2024, incidents of vandalism on the offices of the Supreme Court of Justice of Moldova and on the public broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova were attributed to the said groups.[20] In October 2024, authorities announced the discovery of a plot by exiled pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor involving $15 million in funds from Russia that were distributed to around 130,000 people in order to bribe voters into selecting anti-Western decisions, and spread disinformation against the European Union on social media, following raids on 26 locations nationwide.[21][22] Russia denied the accusations.[23] Security checks were strengthened at Chișinău International Airport following an influx of passengers from Russia carrying large amounts of cash believed to be connected with the plot.[24]

Later that month, Moldova accused Russia of plotting to bus in voters to polling stations at the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow. In response, the EU imposed sanctions on five officials from the autonomous Gagauzia region and on one Russian-based entity involved in the influence operation.[25] The United States accused Russia of spending “millions of dollars” to support its preferred parties and spreading disinformation online.[26][27] The Russian foreign ministry in turn accused Moldova of printing only 10,000 ballots for 500,000 eligible Moldovans living in Russia.[28]

On 17 October, Moldovan authorities announced the discovery of another plot in which 100 youths were trained in Moscow, Serbia and Bosnia by private military groups to foment civil unrest, including using nonlethal weapons to create “mass disorder” during the election and referendum, adding that four people had been arrested and that some of them received several thousand euros in payments.[29]

Olga Roșca, a foreign policy adviser to Sandu, warned that "Russia is pouring millions in dirty money to hijack our democratic processes. This isn't just meddling, it's full-blown interference aimed at destabilising our future. And it is alarming."[5]

The European Union deployed its Cyber Rapid Response Team led by Lithuania to Moldova in order to oversee cybersecurity concerns in the election and referendum following a request from the Moldovan Information Technology and Cyber Security Service.[30]

Campaign

Sandu and Stoianoglo participated in an electoral debate on 27 October without moderators, during which Stoianoglo said that he would continue to support Ukraine while Sandu accused him of being "Moscow's man".[31][32]

Election

Voting in a polling station on 20 October

Approximately 2.8 million ballots were issued for the election and the EU membership referendum. For the first time in Moldova, ballots were featured not only in Romanian but also in as many as five minority languages. Thus, 2,092,641 ballots were in Romanian, 631,979 in Russian, 3,400 in Gagauz, 991 in Bulgarian, 870 in the Romani language and 115 in Ukrainian. For voters in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria, 90,000 ballots were issued, of which 45,000 were in Romanian and the rest in Russian.[33]

For the election and the referendum, 234 polling stations were opened abroad. The first vote in both was cast by Ludmila Vizdoagă, a woman who at the time had lived in South Korea for 19 years. She traveled from Seoul to Tokyo to vote in the polling station for Japan, which was the first to be opened.[33] A polling station was also set up in Varnița to serve voters from Transnistria.[34]

Voting was held from 07:00 to 21:00.[34] As of 15:00, the minimum turnout of 33.33% necessary for the validation of the election had been reached with a turnout of 35.57%.[35]

Candidates

Between 21 and 31 August, the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova (CEC) received 23 applications for the registration of initiative groups in support of 19 candidates, of which 13 applications were accepted.[36] Two of these initiative groups failed to get their candidate registered into the election.

Name Born Campaign Experience Party Status

Maia Sandu 		24 May 1972 (52)
Risipeni, Fălești District
(website) 		President of Moldova (2020–present)
Prime Minister of Moldova (2019)
Minister of Education (2012–2015) 		Independent[a] Registered[37]

Alexandr Stoianoglo 		3 June 1967 (57)

Comrat

Prosecutor General of Moldova (2019–2021)

Vice President of the Parliament (2009–2010)

Independent Registered[38]

Renato Usatîi 		4 November 1978 (45)
Fălești
(website) 		Mayor of Bălți (2015–2018, 2019–2021) Our Party Registered[39]

Vasile Tarlev 		9 October 1963 (61)

Bașcalia, Basarabeasca District


(website) 		Prime Minister of Moldova (2001–2008) Future of Moldova Party
endorsed by the Party of Communists 		Registered[40]

Irina Vlah 		26 February 1974 (50)

Comrat


(website) 		Governor of Gagauzia (2015–2023) Independent Registered[41]

Ion Chicu 		28 February 1972 (52)

Pîrjolteni, Călărași District

Prime Minister of Moldova (2019–2020)

Minister of Finance (2018–2019)

Party of Development and Consolidation of Moldova Registered[41]

Andrei Năstase 		6 August 1975 (49)

Mîndrești, Telenești District


(website) 		Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Internal Affairs (2019) Independent Registered[42]

Octavian Țîcu

21 August 1972 (52)

Costuleni, Ungheni District

Member of the Moldovan Parliament (2019–2021)

Minister of Youth and Sport (2013)

Together Bloc [ro] Registered[42]
Victoria Furtună 24 February 1981 (43)

Hîncești


(website) 		Anti-corruption prosecutor Independent Registered[43]

Tudor Ulianovschi 		25 May 1983 (41)

Florești


(website) 		Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (2018–2019)

Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein; Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2016–2018)

Independent Registered[43]

Natalia Morari 		12 January 1984 (40)

Hîncești


(website) 		Journalist

Host of Morari.live

Independent Registered[43]

Rejected candidates

The following people had their registration as candidates for the election rejected by the Central Electoral Commission:

Furthermore, Alexandru Arseni, whose initiative group supporting his candidacy had been successfully registered, did not submit the necessary documents for his inscription on the ballot of the election,[53] having previously failed to obtain the required number of signatures in his support within the required time frame.[54]

Declined

The following people were subjects of speculation about their potential candidacy within the previous months, but they rejected the speculation and announced they would not run as a candidate:

Opinion polls

Registered candidates

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size Undecided/
Abstention/
None/
Other
Maia Sandu Alexandr Stoianoglo Renato Usatîi Vasile Tarlev Irina Vlah Ion Chicu Andrei Năstase Octavian Țîcu Victoria Furtună Tudor Ulianovschi Natalia Morari
Independent Independent PN PVM Independent PDCM Independent BÎ Independent Independent Independent
11–16 Oct 2024 WatchDog[59] 1,034 35.8% 9.0% 6.4% 1.3% 2.2% 1.2% 0.8% 0.4% 1.4% 0.1% 0.5% 40.9%
19 Sep–10 Oct 2024 iData–IPP[60][61] 1,100 29.5% 11.6% 13.3% 6.1% 4.5% 3.4% 1.1% 1.3% 5.5% 4.3% 0.4% 18.9%
13–22 Sep 2024 ASPEN–APEC–WatchDog[62] 1,021 36.1% 10.1% 7.5% 1.8% 4.1% 2.5% 0.6% 0.8% 0.5% 0.8% 0.6% 34.6%
13–18 Sep 2024 iData[63] 1,021 26.8% 11.2% 12.7% 6.3% 6.1% 4.1% 0.9% 0.7% 0.1% 3.5% 1.8% 25.8%
30 Aug–2 Sep 2024 Intellect Group[64] 596 24.5% 12.0% 6.2% 4.7% 5.0% 1.5% 3.5% – – – 2.0% 40.6%
19–25 Aug 2024 iData[65] 1,004 27.5% 11.4% 11.6% 5.8% 3.3% 2.8% 1.2% – – – – 36.4%
20–23 Aug 2024 CBS Research–WatchDog[66] 1,011 35.5% 9.9% 6.8% 1.8% 5.8% 3.0% 1.2% 1.3% 0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 34.0%
8–21 Jul 2024 IMAS[67] 1,093 33.7% 11.5% 10.8% 1.2% 8.9% 6.0% 1.4% 0.9% – 0.1% 1.1% 24.4%

Second round

Sandu vs. Stoianoglo

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size None/
Undecided/
Abstention
Maia Sandu Alexandr Stoianoglo
Independent Independent
19 Sep–10 Oct 2024 iData 1,100 40.6% 36.4% 23%

Hypothetical candidates

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size Other None/
Undecided/
Abstention
Maia Sandu Igor Dodon Alexandr Stoianoglo Ion Ceban Ilan Shor Vladimir Voronin Ion Chicu Marina Tauber Renato Usatîi Irina Vlah
Independent PSRM Independent MAN ȘOR PCRM PDCM ȘOR PN Independent
28 Jun–18 Jul 2024 CBS-AXA-IPRE 1,119 30.3% 13.0% 1.0% 5.4% 2.5% 3.4% 3.2% – 6.5% 5.6% 6.3% 23%
23 May–13 Jun 2024 IRI[68] 1,225 34% 18% – 4% 4% – 5% – 5% 4% 3% 24%
22–27 May 2024 iData[69] 1,022 30.4% 14.3% – 3.0% – 2.5% 6.1% – 3.9% 1.6% 6.1% 32.1%
2–19 May 2024 IMAS[69] 1,088 35.2% 16.4% – 5.9% – 5.3% 5.7% – 4.7% 4.1% 7.8% 14.9%
6–13 Apr 2024 CBS-AXA–WatchDog[70] 1,008 35.1% 15.8% – 5.4% 1.7% 4.6% 5.6% – 3.9% 4.5% 5.3% 18.0%
18–24 Mar 2024 iData[71] 1,131 27.9% 13.3% – 4.4% – 2.6% 5.7% – 3.0% 4.3% 6.5% 32.3%
27 Jan–22 Feb 2024 IRI[72] 1,247 30% 24% – 6% 4% – 5% – 4% 4% 1% 22%
7–12 Feb 2024 CBS Research[73] 1,104 29.8% 14.8% – 4.5% 8.5% 1.6% 5.0% – 4.4% 4.8% 4.1% 22.4%
26–30 Jan 2024 iData[74] 1,011 24.1% 29.7% 46.2%
29 Nov–16 Dec 2023 IMAS[75] 954 30.1% 24.0% – 8.1% – 2.7% 6.1% – 4.1% 5.6% 6.0% 13.3%
2–24 Sep 2023 IMAS[76] 822 27.8% 16.0% – 6.0% – 4.3% 5.9% – 6.0% 4.9% 4.7% 24.4%
9–23 Aug 2023 CBS-AXA–IPP[77] 1,215 29.4% 18.1% – 5.6% 3.2% 1.5% 4.1% – 5.1% – 3.0% 30.1%
13–28 Jun 2023 CBS-AXA–IPRE[78] 1,120 32.6% 17.8% – 5.3% 3.3% 4.3% 2.9% 3.0% 4.3% – 1.5% 24.0%
10–19 Jun 2023 CBS-AXA–WatchDog[79] 1,121 37.9% 14.2% – 6.2% 2.5% 4.7% 5.0% 3.5% 4.7% – 3.0% 18.3%
2–19 May 2023 IMAS[80] 1,112 28.5% 23.9% – 8.3% – 3.7% 7.2% 2.7% 3.8% – 4.1% 18.0%
27 Apr–8 May 2023 iData[81] 1,049 30.4% 18.3% – 6.7% 12.2% – 5.9% – 4.5% 2.8% 1.5% 17.7%
4–13 Apr 2023 CBS-AXA–WatchDog[82] 1,015 38.3% 18.4% – 6.2% 2.5% 3.2% 4.9% 2.2% 3.2% – 1.9% 19.2%
15–26 Mar 2023 iData[83] 1,065 29.4% 17.6% – 7.2% 9.2% 0.9% 5.4% – 1.7% 3.1% 1.7% 23.9%
24 Feb–3 Mar 2023 CBS-AXA–WatchDog[84] 1,000 31.8% 17.8% – 4.7% 2.0% 3.5% 3.3% 1.8% 2.0% 2.1% 2.1% 28.8%
6–23 Feb 2023 IMAS[85] 1,100 25.2% 20.4% – 8.2% – 4.9% 5.4% 4.3% 3.4% – 3.8% 24.6%
17–26 Jan 2023 CBS-AXA–WatchDog[86] 1,001 28.2% 17.6% – 8.5% 4.2% 3.9% 3.9% 2.4% 3.5% 1.8% 4.0% 21.8%
15–26 Dec 2022 iData[87] 1,006 27.2% 24.1% – 10.0% 13.4% 0.6% 5.0% 0.2% 0.5% 0.1% 3.0% 16.0%
10–29 Nov 2022 IMAS[88] 1,100 26.9% 19.6% – 8.8% – 4.0% 7.1% 2.8% 2.2% – 7.3% 21.3%
29 Oct–10 Nov 2022 CBS Research/IPP[89] 1,134 27.3% 15.4% – 7.1% 9.1% 4.3% – – 2.9% – 3.5% 30.5%
29 Sep–11 Oct 2022 IDIS–CBS Research–IPRI[90] 1,066 34.1% 19.1% – 7.1% 6.3% 5.2% 2.5% – 3.3% 1.2% 3.2% 18.1%
6–18 Jul 2022 IMAS[91] 1,007 24.4% 25.4% – 9.2% – 7.1% 5.2% 3.6% 2.8% – c. 5.4% 16.0%

Hypothetical second rounds

Sandu vs. Ceban

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size None/
Undecided/
Abstention
Maia Sandu Ion Ceban
Independent MAN
6–13 Apr 2024 CBS-AXA–WatchDog 1,008 40.2% 32.3% 27.4%
7–12 Feb 2024 CBS Research[73] 1,104 39.5% 35% 25.8%
29 Nov–16 Dec 2023 IMAS[75] 954 34% 42% 24%

Sandu vs. Chicu

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size None/
Undecided/
Abstention
Maia Sandu Ion Chicu
Independent PDCM
19 Sep–10 Oct 2024 iData 1,100 40.7% 30.1% 29.2%

Sandu vs. Dodon

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size None/
Undecided/
Abstention
Maia Sandu Igor Dodon
Independent PSRM
2–19 May 2024 IMAS[69] 1,088 41.3% 43.5% 15.3%
6–13 Apr 2024 CBS-AXA–WatchDog 1,008 42.2% 34.9% 22.9%
7–12 Feb 2024 CBS Research[73] 1,104 40.2% 39.3% 20.4%
29 Nov–16 Dec 2023 IMAS[75] 954 35% 46% 19%
2–19 May 2023 IMAS[80] 1,112 38% 45% 17%

Sandu vs. Usatîi

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size None/
Undecided/
Abstention
Maia Sandu Renato Usatîi
Independent PN
19 Sep–10 Oct 2024 iData 1,100 38.6% 35.6% 25.8%
13–18 Sep 2024 iData[63] 1,021 35.1% 32.2% 32.7%
29 Nov–16 Dec 2023 IMAS[75] 954 37% 30% 33%

Sandu vs. Vlah

Fieldwork
date 		Polling firm/
Commissioner 		Sample size None/
Undecided/
Abstention
Maia Sandu Irina Vlah
Independent Independent
19 Sep–10 Oct 2024 iData 1,100 40.2% 33.2% 26.6%
6–13 Apr 2024 CBS-AXA–WatchDog 1,008 43.2% 28.3% 28.5%
7–12 Feb 2024 CBS Research[73] 1,104 42.2% 33% 24.7%
29 Nov–16 Dec 2023 IMAS[75] 954 38% 35% 27%

Endorsements

Party endorsements

The table below lists the political parties and other political organizations that supported any of the candidates in the first and second rounds of the presidential election.

Party/organization Ideology First round Second round
Party of Action and Solidarity Liberalism Maia Sandu Maia Sandu
Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova Socialism Alexandr Stoianoglo Alexandr Stoianoglo
Common Action Party — Civil Congress Socialist democracy Alexandr Stoianoglo[92] Alexandr Stoianoglo
Our Party Social conservatism Renato Usatîi No endorsement[93]
Platform Moldova[c] Left-wing populism Irina Vlah Against Sandu[94]
Future of Moldova Party Left-wing nationalism Vasile Tarlev Against Sandu[95]
Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova Communism Vasile Tarlev Alexandr Stoianoglo[96]
Party of Development and Consolidation Christian democracy Ion Chicu Against Sandu[97]
Dignity and Truth Platform[d] Liberalism Octavian Țîcu
Party of Change [ro][d] Conservative liberalism Octavian Țîcu
League of Cities and Communes[d] Localism Octavian Țîcu
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Social liberalism No candidate Against Stoianoglo[98]
National Alternative Movement Social democracy No candidate To be announced[99][100]
Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova Liberal conservatism No candidate Against Sandu[101][102]
Ecologist Green Party Green politics No candidate Maia Sandu[103]
Liberal Party Conservative liberalism No candidate Maia Sandu[104]
Coalition for Unity and Prosperity Liberalism No candidate Participate without endorsement[105]

Second round candidate endorsements

Candidate First round Endorsement
Renato Usatîi 13.79% No endorsement[93]
Irina Vlah 5.38% Against Sandu[94]
Victoria Furtună 4.45% Alexandr Stoianoglo[106]
Vasile Tarlev 3.19% Against Sandu[95]
Ion Chicu 2.06% Against Sandu[97]
Octavian Țîcu 0.93% No endorsement[107]
Andrei Năstase 0.64% No endorsement[108]
Natalia Morari 0.61% Against Sandu[109]
Tudor Ulianovschi 0.52% No endorsement[110]

Results

Sandu's results by district, first round:
  70–80%
  50–60%
  40–50%
  30–40%
  20–30%
  10–20%
  0–10%
Stoianoglo's results by district, first round:
  40–50%
  30–40%
  20–30%
  10–20%
  0–10%

Incumbent president Maia Sandu and Alexandr Stoianoglo advanced to the runoff, with Sandu winning the first round with about 42 percent.[4] She did best in the central part of the country, with more modest results in Chișinău: having won 48.32% of the vote, she underperformed her best result of 59.97% in Ialoveni District. Sandu's strongest result was abroad, with 70.71% of the vote. In contrast, she recorded her worst results in the autonomy of Gagauzia[111] and the Bulgarian-majority[112] Taraclia District, at 2.26% and 4.44% of the vote, respectively. Meanwhile, Stoianoglo, a native of Gagauzia[113] secured his best result there, with slightly less than 50% of the vote. In addition to Gagauzia, he also performed well in the north of the country,[114] as well as Taraclia.

CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Maia SanduIndependent (PAS)656,85242.49
Alexandr StoianogloIndependent (Party of Socialists)401,21525.95
Renato UsatîiOur Party213,16913.79
Irina VlahIndependent83,1935.38
Victoria FurtunăIndependent68,7784.45
Vasile TarlevFuture of Moldova Party
endorsed by the Party of Communists		49,3163.19
Ion ChicuParty of Development and Consolidation31,7972.06
Octavian ȚîcuTogether Bloc [ro]14,3260.93
Andrei NăstaseIndependent9,9460.64
Natalia MorariIndependent9,4440.61
Tudor UlianovschiIndependent7,9950.52
Total1,546,031100.00
Valid votes1,546,03198.82
Invalid/blank votes18,4641.18
Total votes1,564,495100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,023,50651.743,023,506–
Source: Central Electoral Commission

Aftermath

President Sandu attributed the result of the first round and the referendum to foreign interference and described it as an "unprecedented assault on democracy", adding that her government had evidence that 150,000 votes had been bought, with an objective of 300,000. The European Union also said that the two exercises had taken place "under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies".[115] The United States also noted Russian attempts to "undermine Moldova's election and its European integration".[116] The Kremlin, in response, had denounced the votes in Moldova as “unfree”, casting doubt on what it said was a “hard-to-explain” increase in votes in favor of Sandu and the EU referendum, and challenged her to “present evidence” of meddling.[117]

Instances of vote buying

Four hundred Moldovan citizens were investigated for allegedly receiving money to choose the "no" option in the referendum and vote for a determined candidate in the presidential election. Those found guilty would have been fined 37,000 Moldovan lei (over 1,900 euros), but were given the option of not receiving punishment if they cooperated with the authorities.[118]

The head of the Moldovan Police, Viorel Cernăuțeanu, stated on 24 October that since September, a total of $39 million, including 15 million that month and 24 million in October, had been transferred to over 138,000 people in Moldova through the Russian bank Promsvyazbank, which is banned in Moldova. He added that the number of people that had benefited from this system would be much greater as they would have received money not only for themselves but also for members of their family. This money transfer system was believed to have started in late spring, and was carried out through applications that people downloaded with instructions from interactive chatbots on Telegram. This allowed them to enter the system and benefit from transfers from the bank. Cernăuțeanu stated that Moldovan police had documented and stopped the activity of such bots in 97 Telegram groups.[119]

International reactions

The OSCE election observation mission wrote that the voting process was received "overwhelmingly positively" by its observers. According to the report, "the election administration worked professionally and demonstrated impartiality in their decision-making", while "fundamental freedoms were generally respected and contestants could campaign freely". Regarding media landscape, the report stated that "the majority of ODIHR EOM interlocutors informed that conditions for media work without interference have improved", however it also noted misuse of administrative resources by Sandu's campaign and concluded that media coverage did not provide fully equal opportunities, with several media organizations, most notably the public broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova, favouring Sandu and the government. The Electoral Commission also did not resolve complaints in timely manner, and failed to properly address allegations of misuse of office by the incumbent. The report also acknowledged concerns over illicit foreign interference and disinformation campaigns.[120]

Domestic reactions

In a statement on 24 October, Sandu stated that, despite the instances of vote buying, she had rejected suggestions of annulling and repeating the elections as "no one has the right to deny citizens a massive, honest and free expression of their will". She further stated that, without the buying of votes, "we would have had a clear victory for both the presidential elections and the referendum", and also urged the Moldovan judiciary to "wake up" and address the issue of electoral bribery.[121]

Notes

  1. ^ a b The President of Moldova traditionally resigns from party membership after taking office. Although Sandu was officially an independent, her campaign was endorsed and funded by Party of Action and Solidarity.
  2. ^ Munteanu, and the Coalition for Unity and Welfare, were a member of Together Bloc, and nominated and endorsed Octavian Țîcu; however, Munteanu and the party split from the block, claiming Țîcu was too conservative.[44]
  3. ^ Political organization, not a party, led by Irina Vlah
  4. ^ a b c Member party of the Together Bloc [ro]

References

  1. ^ a b "Moldova announces presidential elections, EU accession referendum for October". TVP World. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Moldova Sets Date for Crucial Presidential Election, EU Vote". BNN Bloomberg. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Moldovans cast votes to choose president and decide on EU path as Russian interference claims spike". Associated Press. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Moldovan president appears set to win 1st round of presidential race, but EU vote could be rejected". AP News. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Moldovans go to polls to decide whether future lies with Russia or the west". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  6. ^ Victor, Constance (18 October 2024). "Votes for sale: How Moldova can combat Russia's election meddling". ECFR. Retrieved 22 October 2024. Shor has also publicly ramped up his anti-EU rhetoric: he is expected to outwardly endorse a pro-Russian presidential candidate just before the election, with an investigation conducted by Moldovan newspaper ZDG naming her as the independent, Victoria Furtuna.
  7. ^ "Early results show 50% of Moldovans vote "yes" at referendum on EU aspirations". Reuters.
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