With 99.82% of votes counted, incumbent President Maia Sandu has won the second round of Moldova's presidential election, securing 55.40% of the vote. Her opponent, former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, has received 44.60%.
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As per the Central Election Commission, the majority of voters within Moldova supported Stoianoglo. However, the incumbent pro-European president gained the advantage thanks to the votes of Moldovans living abroad, where Sandu received approximately 82% of the vote. Excluding the data from polling stations outside the country, Stoianoglo holds 51% of the vote, while Sandu has 49%.
Voter turnout in the second round of the election was 54%, with 1,698,950 Moldovans casting their ballots.
Commenting on the election results, Maia Sandu said that Moldova "won" and its citizens demonstrated a lesson in democracy.
"Together, we’ve shown the strength of our unity, democracy, and commitment to a dignified future. Thank you, dear Moldovans, at home and abroad. Walk with pride - you are freedom, hope, and resilience. I am proud to serve you all,” Sandu wrote on Platform X.
Maia Sandu was first elected President of Moldova in 2020. During her presidency, Moldova became a candidate for European Union membership.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders congratulated Sandu on her re-election. Von der Leyen praised Sandu’s resilience, saying it requires rare strength to overcome the challenges she faced in this election. "I am happy to continue working with you for the European future of Moldova and its people,” the European Commission President said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also congratulated Sandu, stating that “triumphed over all interference and all maneuvers.” He affirmed that France will continue to support Moldova on its European path.
The Georgian president also responded to the elections. After congratulating Maia Sandu on her victory, she wrote on X that the Moldovan elections serve as the best "evidence" of Georgia’s stolen elections.
"Despite similar Russian interference and massive rigging, Moldova was saved by 300.000 diaspora voters… our 1000.000 strong diaspora was barred. Only 34 000 were “allowed” to vote," Zourabichvili said.
On the day of the second-round election, Moldovan President Sandu’s national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru, reported large-scale interference from Russia. "We’re seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process as Moldovans vote in the presidential runoff today - an effort with high potential to distort the outcome. Authorities are on high alert,” Secrieru wrote on X. He added that Russia organized the transportation of voters to Baku, Istanbul, and Minsk by buses and charter flights. Additionally, several polling stations abroad received false bomb threats, which Secrieru stated were being considered part of Russia's interference in the election.
