After the election in the Republic of Moldova, which is torn between the West and Russia, the counting is underway. According to the initial results, the president is in the lead and a runoff election is foreseeable.
In the presidential election in the former Soviet Republic of Moldova, the incumbent Maia Sandu is ahead, as expected, after a good two-thirds of the votes were counted. She received over 36.5 percent of the vote after around 76 percent of the ballot papers had been counted, as the electoral commission announced. This is an interim result, not an extrapolation.
In second place was former Attorney General Alexandru Stoianoglo as a candidate from the traditionally strong Socialist Party of pro-Russian ex-President Igor Dodon. According to the interim results, he received around 29 percent of the votes and is therefore significantly stronger than previously expected in surveys.
There will likely be a runoff election in two weeks. There were a total of eleven applicants for the office. Moldova is a candidate for EU membership.
A referendum also took place on whether the country’s EU course should be permanently anchored in the constitution as a strategic goal. After counting almost 80 percent of the ballot papers, the no votes were, contrary to expectations, in the lead. Accordingly, around 55 percent of voters voted against the constitutional change and around 45 percent for it.
If this were to be confirmed as the final result, it would be a bitter setback for Sandu from the pro-Western Action and Solidarity (PAS) party and a victory for the pro-Russian camp.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
