In a small village near Chisinau Moldovaʼs president Maia Sandu is making her case for reelection. Its a cold evening and shes speaking from an outdoor bandstand‚ warning about Russian meddling and pushing for EU membership as the way forward
The country is getting ready for two important votes on 10/22/24: a presidential election with 11 candidates‚ and a referendum on adding EU integration to the constitution. Sandu tells the crowd‚ “This decision will influence our lives not for the next four years: it will influence our lives for decades to come“
Campaign flyers at the rally mention a big vote-buying scheme: 15 million euros paid to 130‚000 people last month through Russian banks. This scheme is linked to Ilan Shor‚ a pro-Russia oligarch whos party was banned last year. Shor denies these claims‚ saying the payments are legal
Moldovan authorities say they stopped another plot where over 100 young people got training in Moscow to cause trouble during the votes. Some even went to guerrilla camps in Serbia and Bosnia. Four people were locked up for a month
Stanislav Secrieru‚ the presidents security adviser‚ says they expect more pressure from Russia as Moldova gets closer to the EU. He mentions that law enforcement has gotten stronger to deal with “intensive hybrid attacks“ since Russia invaded Ukraine over two and a half years ago
Moldova has faced many problems since then:
- Missiles landing on its territory
- A big energy crisis
- High inflation
- Anti-government protests by pro-Russia groups
The US‚ UK‚ and Canada said this summer that Russia is trying to mess with Moldovas democracy and influence the votes. Russia says its not true
In Chisinauʼs main park‚ Ana Maria‚ a doctor‚ worries about Russian disinformation but thinks most Moldovans have ties to the EU. Social media companies have removed fake accounts that were against the EU and Sandu
We believe that by 2030‚ the Republic of Moldova will be ready for accession and we will work day and night for this goal
Polls show Sandu leading with over 35% of the vote. The EU referendum needs a one-third turnout to count. Some worry that the number of registered voters is too high compared to the population
Iulian Groza‚ who runs a think tank‚ calls this a “historic moment“ where turnout is key. He says Moldova can either move towards the EU or be pulled back into Russian influence
As night falls in Magdacesti‚ Sandu urges people to vote: “We have no time to wait... so many years have passed in which Moldova did not develop as it could have developed“