Biden congratulates Moldova’s Sandu, says Russia failed to undermine election

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden on Monday congratulated Maia Sandu on her reelection as president of Moldova, saying that Russia has failed in its alleged attempts to undermine the country's election process.

"On Sunday, the Moldovan people went to the polls and voted in favor of President Sandu’s vision for a secure, prosperous, and democratic Moldova," Biden said in a statement.

Biden recalled that Sandu’s reelection comes two weeks after the Moldovan people passed a constitutional referendum in support of membership in the EU.

"For months, Russia sought to undermine Moldova’s democratic institutions and election processes. But Russia failed," said the US president.

Biden stressed that the Moldovan people have chosen to "pursue a path aligned with Europe and democracies everywhere".

According to data published by the Central Election Commission (CEC), Sandu won 55.33% of the vote, while her rival, former Prosecutor General Alexander Stoianoglo, received 44.67% after 100% of the ballots were counted.

Almost 1.7 million Moldovans voted in the second round, corresponding to 54.34% of the electorate. The runoff followed an initial round of voting held two weeks ago, in which Sandu, who is viewed as pro-Western, fell short of securing 50% of the ballots needed to win a second term.

Sandu argued that her country was under an "unprecedented attack" in European history, reiterating accusations of external influence, particularly by Moscow, that have been voiced since the first round of the election. Russia had rejected the accusations, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov challenging her to provide evidence of the alleged interference.