Moldova faces decisive vote under shadow of Russian interference

Chisinau, Moldova — Moldova's pro-Brussels leader Maia Sandu is in a tough fight in Sunday's presidential election with a challenger who wants closer ties with Moscow only two weeks after she won an EU membership referendum by a razor-thin margin.

With Georgia reeling from a disputed election which returned its Moscow-friendly ruling party to power, all eyes are now on Moldova, which borders war-torn Ukraine.

Russia has been accused of interfering in the elections of both former Soviet states, allegations rejected by Moscow.

Sandu said her camp "won justly in an unjust struggle" in the EU referendum on October 20 amid claims that pro-Russian opposition engaged in disinformation and vote-buying.

But the 52-year-old former World Bank economist admitted she was in a "difficult fight" in the second round of the presidential vote, after taking nearly 42.5 % of the vote in the first round.

Her rival, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor backed by the pro-Russian Socialists, picked up a higher-than-expected 25.95%.

Vote-buying 'thieves'

But Sunday's vote is likely to be a lot closer.

Several pro-Russian candidates who ran in the first round have thrown their weight behind Stoianoglo, saying Moldova risked being dragged into war and becoming a second Ukraine.

During his campaign, Stoianoglo -- who was fired as prosecutor by Sandu -- vowed to wage a "balanced foreign policy" that would include both the EU and Russia.

The 57-year-old boycotted the referendum he denounced as a "parody," with the socialists now contesting the results.

With Washington warning that Moscow "will again attempt to prevent Moldovans from exercising their sovereign right to choose their own leaders," the government has been raising the alarm over "electoral fraud."

Sandu took to social media to call on Moldovans not to give in to the "thieves who give you money for votes and trample on your dignity, steal your freedom" and who will "destroy Moldova for decades to come."

She also appealed to the judiciary to step up the fight against corruption, accusing "criminal groups" of trying to bribe up to 300,000 voters.

"If you are offered money to vote against a candidate, refuse, otherwise you risk a fine," loudspeakers warned shoppers in a supermarket in the capital of Chisinau, local media reported.

Torn between 'East and West'

Fears of Russian meddling have long been looming large.

Fugitive oligarch and former politician Ilan Shor is suspected of having funneled almost $40 million from Russia into Moldova since September in a bid to corrupt voters.

Convicted in absentia last year for fraud, Shor regularly brands Moldova a "police state" and the West's "obedient puppet."

Experts say the economic woes of Moldova -- already one of Europe's poorest countries -- have deepened amid high inflation, with European aid often providing the only lifeline.

But four years after Sandu became Moldova's first woman president, the former Soviet republic appears deeply divided.

Moldova's large diaspora as well as people living in the capital are mostly in favor of the pro-EU course.

On the other hand, some remote villages and the inhabitants of the breakaway region of Transnistria as well as Gagauzia have been traditionally close to Russia.

"Both the East and the West want to drag us to their side," Maria told AFP on the streets of Chisinau.

The 30-year-old, who declined to give her surname, said Moldova should be "independent" while maintaining "good relations" with both sides.

"We will lose financial resources and the image our European partners have of us will be damaged" if Sandu does not win, said student Denis Parnao.

Kalman Mizsei, an EU adviser to the government, said he is optimistic that "Moldova's European course is going to continue."

Amid "the terrible war in Ukraine and the bad news in Georgia, I still want to hope that Moldova will continue to offer a glimpse of hope," he told journalists earlier this week.