Dmitry Peskov Photo: Sergey Bobylev/TASS
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed doubts about the election results in the Republic of Moldova, noting that the sharp rise in support for President Maia Sandu and the course towards integration with the European Union is “difficult to explain.” According to preliminary data, 50.17% of voters voted in favour of joining the EU, although the “against” position was leading overnight. Peskov said that the “anomalies” in the voting dynamics raise “many questions,” Reuters reported.
“We are watching these indicators and we see a mechanical, hard-to-understand growth of support for Maia Sandu and pro-European forces,” Peskov said, answering a question from the state-run TASS news agency. He also called the campaign “unfree,” accusing the Moldovan authorities of repressing the opposition.
Peskov claimed that the opposition was deprived of the opportunity to campaign freely: its representatives were harassed, arrested, and some were not allowed to enter the country. “The press was closed, Internet resources were blocked,” he added.
According to 98.56% of the processed protocols, Maia Sandu is leading with 42.07% of the vote (approximately 640,000), while her main rival, Alexandru Stoianoglo, received 26.27% (400,000 votes). Thus, a second round of elections was announced.
Maia Sandu accused of fraud after the referendum on EU membership showed a narrow margin of victory. She called it an “unprecedented attack on democracy”, claiming that “criminal groups” tried to buy 300,000 votes to compromise the results.
In response, Peskov called on Sandu to provide evidence of his accusations. He also noted: “If she says that she did not receive votes because of some criminal groups, let her provide evidence. And let her explain why so many citizens do not support her policies – are they all part of criminal structures?”
Thus, the second round of elections in Moldova promises to be tense, and relations between Chisinau and Moscow continue to deteriorate amid these events.
