Russia denounced the presidential elections in Moldova on Tuesday, calling them incorrect because, according to the Kremlin, they excluded hundreds of thousands of Moldovans living in Russia, while Moldovans living in the West were offered the opportunity to exercise their vote.
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, even the majority of those living in Moldova voted against Maia Sandu, who was reelected as president on Sunday, which calls into question her legitimacy, Reuters reports.
„These elections were neither democratic nor fair,” Peskov stated. „Regarding Mrs. Maia Sandu, she is not, in our opinion, the president of her country, because even within the country, the majority of the population did not vote for her, and we are talking about a very, very divided society. Contradictions will certainly continue,” he said.
Peskov also stated that the current leadership in Chisinau shows no interest in cultivating good relations with Russia, while the opposition in Moldova is under attack, with opponents being arrested or searched.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that the presidential elections in Moldova were "the most undemocratic" in the country's post-Soviet history.
"For the Moldovan diaspora in our country, estimated at 500,000, only two polling stations were opened, the same 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.
American President Joe Biden congratulated Maia Sandu on her victory, emphasizing that Russia "failed to undermine the democratic institutions and electoral process in Moldova."
According to the final results, Maia Sandu won the second round of the presidential election with 55.33% of the votes, while Alexandr Stoianoglo received 44.67%.
Maia Sandu has long denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accused Russia of plotting to overthrow her administration. After last month's first round of elections, Maia Sandu mentioned a campaign of bribing voters to vote against her and the referendum on joining the European Union, which passed by just over 50%.