What next for Moldova after pro-Europe president's win?

It was an election day like no other in Europe's recent history.

While turnout for the presidential election runoff in the Republic of Moldova on Sunday broke records — especially among Moldovan voters living abroad — the day was overshadowed by widespread attempts to interfere in the election and disrupt voting.

For one thing, there were systematic bomb threats against polling stations, which had to be temporarily closed.

Moreover, Moldovan police are investigating allegations that Russia organized numerous flights to bring voters from Russia to Turkey and other countries so they could cast their vote in embassies and consulates there.

Nerve-wracking vote count

After a nail-biting 90-minute count, the unofficial result was announced shortly after midnight.

In the end, the outcome was crystal clear: Moldova's incumbent president, Maia Sandu, who would like to see her country join the EU and is pushing for radical reforms, won the election with about 55% of the vote.

Her challenger, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general who was removed from office because of corruption allegations and who had the backing of the country's pro-Russian parties, bagged about 45% of the vote.

Turnout on Sunday stood at about 52% — a record for the Republic of Moldova, especially when one considers how difficult it is for many voters to cast their vote: Some of the country's estimated 2.8 million inhabitants live in the separatist pro-Russian region of Transnistria, while hundreds of thousands live elsewhere in Europe.

Manipulation failed despite massive interference

In short, Russia's widespread attempts in recent weeks and months to interfere in polls in Moldova and shape their outcomes failed. The country's pro-European path is secure for the time being.

However, it is likely that without Russia's hybrid attack on the recent elections and referendum, the result for Maia Sandu would have been even more decisive.

The EU referendum two weeks ago, when voters were asked whether the country's ambition to join the EU should be anchored in the Moldovan constitution, passed with a wafer-thin majority of about 10,000 votes.

Police have said that a massive amount of votes were bought in the referendum and first round of the presidential election two weeks ago.

'Today, you have saved Moldova!'

Before midnight, Maia Sandu appeared before her supporters at the headquarters of the party she herself founded, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). She was cheered and celebrated as the winner.

After midnight, already completely hoarse, Sandu spoke to the country and the press. Her acceptance speech was very emotional.

"Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books," she declared. "Freedom, truth and justice have prevailed."

Sandu also addressed Moldovans living abroad: "You are incredible," she said. "You have shown that your heart is in our country."

Self-critical remarks

Several times in her speech, the reelected president said that she had heard the critical voices and "the voice of those who voted differently."

At one point, she switched from Romanian, the official language of Moldova, to Russian, and said that regardless of their ethnicity and language, all citizens in the country want to "live in peace, prosperity and in a democracy and united society."

Sandu repeated her serious allegations of fraud from the first round of the election and the campaign of the past two weeks. She said that there had been an "unprecedented assault" on the country, an attempt to buy votes with dirty money and "interference by foreign forces and criminal groups."

She was also critical of herself, noting that the speed of reform had so far been inadequate and saying: "We must speed up the implementation of reforms and consolidate our democracy."

Cabinet reshuffle expected very soon

Both the president and the government she supports are under enormous pressure to deliver. Expectations across the country are very high.

Despite the fact that Sandu has long had a reputation for being incorruptible, a woman of integrity and a determined reformer, as president, she has limited power.

Parliamentary elections are due to take place in Moldova in 2025. If the government of Prime Minister Dorin Recean, a Sandu ally, does not come up with better social policies and more judicial and anti-corruption reforms, the country's pro-European path could be at risk.

A cabinet reshuffle is expected in the near future. It is likely that a number of ministers will be replaced.

Geopolitical election

Commentators on Moldovan public television all agreed that Sunday's election had been a geopolitical one in which Moldova had to decide between Russia and the prospect of a future in a democratic Europe.

Most also agreed that there had been "unprecedented criminal activities" against the country.

"Russia and Ilan Shor's criminal group invested a sum equivalent to 1% of our gross domestic product to influence this election. There was phenomenal pressure and an enormous amount of disinformation and manipulation," said Valeriu Pasa, chairman of the civil society organization Watchdog.

Pasa went on to say that "our government and our country now have many lessons to learn [...] in the judiciary, in the fight against corruption, and in the way we deal with society and above all pensioners — a particularly large number of whom are susceptible to disinformation."

He insisted that "kid gloves cannot be used in the fight against con men like Shor. Vigorous action is needed."

A stark warning to Moldova's European partners

Israeli-born Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor is seen as one of the ringleaders in what is known in Moldova as the "theft of the century," when about a billion euros was stolen from three Moldovan banks between 2012 and 2014. Shor fled to Israel before he was due to begin his 15-year prison sentence. He now lives in Russia.

The Moldovan Police suspect him of working with the Russian secret services to run a large-scale sophisticated vote-buying scheme in the run-up to the recent polls. It is estimated that up to 300,000 votes were bought.

Writer Nicolae Negru said that Russia had used Moldova to test such experimental methods of manipulation, stressing that it is now important to ask how a fraud on this scale was not prevented by the authorities, despite the fact that they had long been aware of it.

Political scientist Iulian Groza of the Moldovan Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) said that the scale of the manipulation and "Russia's sophisticated tools" must not be underestimated.

"Russia will not stop, neither in our country nor elsewhere in Europe," said Groza. "The recent practices and experience in our country must give all our European partners food for thought."

This article was originally published in German and adapted by Aingeal Flanagan.