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Maia Sandu endured the countless dirt campaigns steadfastly, almost stoically. Sometimes he was accused of treason, sometimes of allegedly “non-Christian and non-traditional sexual orientation”. Sandu reacted by repeatedly explaining his vision of a better country: he wanted a republic with more rule of law and transparency, without corruption and the arbitrariness of the state.
It is not really a message with which Moldova can win elections. But Sandu did it: he prevailed against a powerful apparatus that was reluctant to reform and against all attempts at electoral fraud. The 48-year-old graduate economist, president of the “Action and Solidarity Party” (PAS) and short-term head of government last year, was elected the new President of the Republic of Moldova on Sunday.
His victory in this second round was clear: he received almost 58 percent of the vote, his opponent, the nominally Socialist incumbent Igor Dodon, only got about 42 percent. Not only the strong Moldovan diaspora in Western Europe, which Dodon had disparagingly referred to as a “parallel electorate,” voted for Sandu. Contrary to many predictions, Sandu also won in most of the country, including many Russian-speaking voters. Russians, Ukrainians, and Russian-speaking Gagauz make up about 20 percent of the population; so far, they have largely voted unanimously for the Dodon and pro-Russian parties.
Historic electoral victory
It is a historic electoral victory for the small, predominantly Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, considered one of the poorest countries in Europe. Since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991, no candidate for the highest office advocating a genuine policy of reform has won an election. The election is also an important signal for the European Union.
Scenarios such as those after the elections in Belarus or Georgia will not be repeated in Moldova. Furthermore, the EU’s so-called Eastern Partnership Policy could also be reactivated now. Moldova would become his model for success one day, but the project largely failed. Maia Sandu now advocates a pro-European orientation for the country and the consistent implementation of the EU association agreement concluded in 2014.
The former headline Igor Dodon is only declaratively a socialist and defended politics with fundamentalist accents and Christian identitarians. His biggest trademark, however, was his loyalty to Putin. He visited Russia from time to time on a monthly basis and displayed a servility in the Kremlin for which he was ultimately despised in Moscow, even in diplomatic circles, despite the Kremlin’s political support for him. Dodon also made headlines with numerous corruption scandals in his political and family environment.
Reputation of an incorruptible reformist politician
With Maia Sandu, not only a different style is moving towards the highest office of the Moldovan state, but a new spirit. The president-elect comes from a village in western Moldova and studied economics and management science, including with a scholarship at Harvard. From 2012 to 2015, as Minister of Education, she earned a reputation as an incorruptible reformist politician who did not want to engage in political haggling. In the 2016 presidential election, her opponent Igor Dodon defeated her only marginally, probably because electoral fraud was involved.
In June of last year, she briefly became head of government after a political thriller. At the time, the powerful Moldovan oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, considered one of the masterminds of the “billion dollar robbery,” the 2014 looting of three banks with the help of branching credit deals and corrupt judges, fled the country. . Under pressure from the United States, Russia and the EU, after Plahotniuc’s flight, a reformist coalition was formed between the Socialists and the Sandus party. But after just five months, the intrigues of the socialists who had sabotaged his reform program overturned Sandu, especially radical judicial reform.
In her new role as president, Maia Sandu has little real competition. It can set the accent on foreign policy, but it has no executive power. The current government is made up of Igor Dodon’s Socialists, supported by a fragile parliamentary majority. Sandu announced in the electoral campaign that he would seek new elections to secure a pro-European and reformist majority in parliament. No observer in the country dares to predict whether it will succeed.
At least Maia Sandu’s voice is very symbolic for the country. The day after his electoral victory, he left no doubt that he would do everything possible to raise it. “All citizens now have the opportunity to change,” she said at her first press conference as president-elect. “My mandate is not a privilege, but a great responsibility. I want our country to no longer defend poverty, corruption and emigration. I will work hard for this for the next four years. “
