UWC, Ukrainian community in Moldova congratulate Maia Sandu on presidential re-election

The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) sincerely congratulates incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu on her re-election. Her victory is a success not only for Moldova but for Ukraine, Europe and the entire free world, stated UWC President Paul Grod.

Sandu, 52, overcame a pro-Kremlin opponent in a run-off election over the past weekend that was marred by Russian interference complete with widespread disinformation, vote buying and illegal transportation of voters to polling stations abroad. 

“Just like Ukraine, Moldova is at the forefront of the democratic international community’s fight for freedom, the rule of international law and the values underlying our right to live in democratic societies that respect human rights against the heinous Russian neo-imperialism,” Grod wrote in a congratulatory letter to Sandu.

Under Sandu’s leadership, Moldova will confidently and dignifiedly continue its journey toward European integration and pro-European reforms, he added. 

“A democratic, sovereign, and European Moldova is vital for the security of both Ukraine and the EU,” he said, expressing gratitude for her unwavering support for Ukraine and her genuine sympathy for the Ukrainian community in Moldova.

The pivotal Moldovan presidential election was a contest between the imposition of “Russkiy Mir” [literally Russian World, a conceptual doctrine that Russian culture is superior – ed.] and a commitment to forge ahead and embrace the democratic values of freedom of choice, rule of law, and economic prosperity without corruption and nepotism. 

Dmitrii Lecartev, Chairman of the National Congress of Ukrainians in Moldova (NCUM), told the UWC that the country of 3 million people chose the European path that embraces those qualities. 

“I take pride in being part of the Ukrainian community that has steadfastly supported you [Sandu] in this fight. Our support has been unwavering, and it will continue to be so. The Ukrainian community in Moldova is eager to collaborate further and engage in achieving our common goals,” Lecartev stated.

Sandu’s victory coincided with a separate national referendum that was held on Oct. 20 during which voters chose to amend their nation’s constitution so that membership to the 27-nation member EU is legally enshrined. 

The next significant milestone will be the parliamentary elections scheduled for next year, said Roman Russu, a political scientist and a member of the leadership of NCUM.

“Before that, we can expect intensified efforts from Russia to destabilize the situation in Moldova to facilitate the entry of pro-Russian politicians into parliament,” Russu said. “Since Moldova is a parliamentary republic, this could provide them with substantial leverage to influence the country’s situation.” 

Among the Kremlin’s vote-rigging tricks were “massive amounts of money from FSB-linked funds and banks” that were funneled into bribing voters, Russu said. 

“There were also organized and centralized illegal transports of voters to polling stations in Russia, as well as flights to Russia’s satellite countries or destinations accessible from Russia,” he added.

This presents a significant challenge to pro-European forces since they “must consolidate and take serious measures to counter Russian interference in the elections,” Russu said.

Meanwhile, Russia isn’t stopping and has already initiated an information campaign aimed at discrediting Sandu’s victory in the presidential elections, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Moscow has already said it is not acknowledging the outcome of the Moldovan presidential vote, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this week. 

“The Russian information space, including Russian milbloggers [military bloggers], echoed the words of the pro-Russian Moldovan opposition claiming that Moldovan elections were controlled by ‘European bureaucrats’ and that Moldovans had no agency in determining the outcome of the elections,” the ISW report stated.