Voting in Moldova's second election has been closed as Russia has been accused of interfering with the country's president, Maia Sandu, and her national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru.
The number of voters in the country between the European Union and Russia was higher than the first round on October 20, as the first results are expected in the evening. There are no exit polls or predictions.
Sandu will run for a second term, but failed to get an absolute majority in the first round of voting two weeks ago. He received 42.45% of the votes on October 20, leading a group of 11 people in total.
His main rival and former Attorney General Alexandr Stoianoglo, who represented Russia, came second with 25.98%.
Despite the large margin between Sandu and Stoianoglo, the outcome of Sunday's exit vote is considered open.
Earlier in the day, Secrieru wrote on X: “We are witnessing serious Russian interference in our electoral process as Moldovans vote in the presidential election today – a powerful attempt to distort the result. The authorities are very cautious.”
Secrieru accused Russia of too much interference in the election, saying that this risked distorting the results.
He reported illegal voter transport from the Russian-controlled region of Transnistria and organized transport from Russia to places such as Baku, Istanbul and Minsk.
He shared a video circulating on social media that allegedly shows people carrying their Moldovan passports on a flight to Minsk.
Complaints were raised about limited polling stations in Moscow, as only 10,000 votes were allocated to Moldovans living in Russia.
Sandu also warned of vote buying and electoral fraud before the polls closed.
“Thieves want to buy our votes and our country, but the power of the people is stronger than all their tricks,” the 52-year-old pro-European politician told local media while voting in the capital, Chișinău.
Moldova, an agricultural country between Romania and Ukraine, has applied for EU membership like Ukraine.
Although Sandu is considered the favorite to win the presidency, he has been criticized for the lack of economic and social development in a country with about 2.5 million people.
Stoianoglo, 57, plans for Moldova to follow a path towards EU accession and maintain good economic relations with Russia. His opponents see him as a puppet of corrupt oligarchs.
Security authorities in Chișinău recently discovered a vote-getting scheme by pro-Russian militias ahead of the October 20 vote.
Despite this, the referendum to put the country's EU base in the Moldovan constitution, organized by Sandu on the same day as the first round of voting, was supported by the voters.
Thousands of Moldovans living abroad – mainly in the EU – and those living in the breakaway region of Transnistria were also able to vote in the second round.
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