After several days of silence, the pro-Russian opposition candidate in the presidential elections in Moldova, Alexandr Stoianoglo, acknowledged on Wednesday the victory of his pro-European counterpart, Maia Sandu.
The legitimacy of her election was contested by the party that supported Stoianoglo, the Party of Socialists (PSRM), as well as by the Kremlin, as reported by the EFE agency.
„The results show that I have lost, even though, here in Moldova, I have won. The majority of you have given me your vote of confidence,” Stoianoglo conveyed in a statement, referring to the votes from abroad, which decisively tipped the balance in favor of Maia Sandu, even though he won the domestic vote.
„This campaign has clearly exposed the limits, political affiliation, and the capture of key state structures, including the media and civil society. What has happened leaves no room for doubt: they have not only abandoned their mission to protect the public interest and human rights. They have demonstrated their willingness to manipulate, provoke hysteria, and exert pressure in the interests of a regime eager to remain in power at any cost.
It is humiliating to see those who beg for votes using instead falsehoods, hysteria, and propaganda to hide the truth and to disorient society through an artificial state of confusion, tension, and doubt," he remarked.
"It is not a final defeat, it is just a lost battle, thank you from the bottom of my heart for every vote, every look of trust, and every gesture of solidarity (...) But we do not stop here. Let us acknowledge, we need a broader consolidation of society to build a modern and just Moldova.
It is time to accelerate, with dignity, even when others win at any cost. Our fight for a free, stable, and prosperous Moldova is just beginning. We move forward, heads held high, with the same desire and with you by our side. It is only the beginning of a new journey," urged the candidate who was supported by PSRM.
The day after the elections, this party stated in a declaration signed by former President Igor Dodon that they do not recognize the votes from abroad and labeled Maia Sandu as the "president of the diaspora," "an illegitimate president, recognized only by her sponsors and supporters from abroad."
The party that supported the opposition candidate Stoianoglo specifically complained about the restriction of the right to vote in the Transnistrian region and the fact that out of the 228 polling stations opened abroad, only two were opened in Russia, both in Moscow, even though hundreds of thousands of Moldovan citizens live in the Russian Federation. The majority of polling stations were opened in Italy, 60 in total.
On the other hand, Moscow considered the elections in the Republic of Moldova undemocratic and also criticized the organization of only two polling stations in the Russian Federation.
"Without exaggeration, this was the most undemocratic electoral campaign since the independence of the Republic of Moldova, characterized by an unprecedented repression against the opposition and independent media, especially Russian-language ones, by the open interference of Western countries in the electoral process, and by the widespread use of administrative resources by the authorities," stated the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova.
The treatment of Moldovan voters living in Russia by Chisinau "deserves special mention," she emphasized. "For the Moldovan diaspora in our country, estimated at 500,000, only two polling stations were opened, as in the first round, while in Western Europe and North America, where approximately 500,000 Moldovans live, over 200 polling stations were set up, and in several countries, Moldovans were allowed to vote by correspondence," lamented the Russian Foreign Ministry representative.
According to the final results, Maia Sandu won the second round of the presidential election with 55.33% of the votes, while Alexandr Stoianoglo obtained 44.67%.
In polling stations abroad, Maia Sandu received 82.83% of the votes, and Alexandr Stoianoglo won the domestic vote with 51.33%, but the votes from the diaspora, where over 300,000 voters cast their ballots, tilted the balance in favor of Maia Sandu.