Looking West: Moldova
Photograph of Moldovan President-elect Maia Sandu speaking with supporters in Chișinău. Photo courtesy of Sergei Gapon of Agence France-Presse.
On 15 November, Moldovia finished the second round of its presidential election. Maia Sandu, a pro-Europeanist candidate, won the presidency with almost 58 per cent of the vote.
Incumbent President Igor Dodon, a former member of Moldova's Soviet-era Communist Party, who favours close ties to the Russian Federation, received about 42 per cent of the vote.
Ms Sandu's campaign revolved around policies that would bring Moldova closer to the European Union. Ms Sandu will be the first female president of the country.
While Moldova has not asked to join the EU, Ms Sandu said in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview that she sees the former-Soviet state as a future member.
Ms Sandu, former World Bank economist and Prime-Minister, criticised the Dodon government for systemic corruption within Moldova's political and justice system. She also called for the removal of Russian troops in Transnistria, a partially Russian-speaking portion on Moldova that claims independence.
Ms Sandu's socially-Conservative stances left her open to criticisms of 'chilliness'. Some opponents have also accused her of being a lesbian, a claim which she denies.
Mr Dodon has been criticised for his close ties to the Kremlin, especially after his government launched a programme, making Russian language classes mandatory in public schools, even though most of the ethnically-Moldovan parts of the country speak a dialect of Romanian.
Ms Sandu's victory has been seen by many in the West as emblematic of Russian's shrinking influence in former Soviet-republics. Similar to opposition groups in Ukraine and Belarus (see article: And Then There Was One), pro-Western candidates in Moldova pointed systemic governing and economic issues as a result of Russian influence.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian government hopes to form a working relationship with the Sandu administration, as reported by Reuters.
The European Union External Action Service released applauding the election results in a statement saying, 'Moldovan voters have demonstrated their commitment to democracy despite the challenging context of the COVID-19 pandemic'.
The COVID-19 pandemic played a large role in this year's election. The subsequent rise in unemployment and economic contractions caused many voters, both at home and the large numbers who vote from abroad, to lose confidence in Mr Dodon, according to The Economist.
Moldova is often characterised as a country split between the East and West.
While Ms Sandu relatively large electoral victory lends her a significant mandate, the Moldovan Social Party, which has historically supported Mr Dodon and close ties with Moscow, still controls the parliament, after legislative elections in 2019.
Moldovan presidential powers are relatively limited, so Ms Sandu may call for snap parliamentary elections to secure control over the government.
Sources:
‘Moldova election: Pro-EU opposition candidate Maia Sandu wins’. BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 16 Nov. 2020,
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-54965755
‘Russia hopes to establish working relationship with pro-EU Moldovan president: Kremlin’. Reuters, Thomas Reuters Corporation, 16 Nov. 2020,
‘Republic of Moldova: Statement by the Spokesperson on the presidential elections’. European External Action Service, 02 Nov. 2020,
‘Maia Sandu, a reformist ex-prime minister, becomes president’. The Economist, The Economist Group, 19 Nov. 2020,