Pro-EU president wins second term in ex-Soviet state – Election Committee

Moldova’s Maia Sandu attracted over 55% of the votes in Sunday’s runoff, official numbers show

Moldova’s incumbent pro-EU president Maia Sandu has won a second term in office in Sunday’s runoff, the nation’s Central Election Committee announced on Monday. With 100% of the ballots counted, Sandu has secured 55.33% of the votes, while her competitor, former prosecutor general Aleksandr Stoianoglo got 44.67%, official data shows.

The turnout in the runoff ballot was 54.31% of all registered voters, the committee said in a press release, adding that the results are considered valid if more than 20% of eligible voters take part in the elections.

The police said that a total of 225 violations were reported during the voting, ranging from ballot damage to illegal political agitation and voter bribing.

Under Moldovan law, the Central Election Committee is to submit its final report on the voting results to the nation’s constitutional court in five days.

Sandu declared her victory on Monday, when over 98% of the ballots were counted. At that time, the results were already showing that she enjoyed a ten-point lead over her rival. Early results suggested Stoianoglo was leading by a slim margin but the incumbent overtook him by midnight and the gap between the two kept growing.

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