(Russia Direct) The presidential campaign in the Republic of Moldova is now officially over with the second round of elections concluded on Nov. 13. The first round that took place two weeks earlier did not determine a winner but made two political trends evident: The percentage of voters who supported closer ties with Russia and those who supported the EU was more or less equal, and there is demand for a change in Moldova regardless of any foreign policy aspirations.
The main competition took place between pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon, the leader of the socialist party, and the pro-EU candidate, former Minister of Education (2012-2015) Maia Sandu. As a result of the run-off vote on Nov. 13, Dodon won the presidential seat.
The dominance of the pro-European political groups is now being challenged, as over the course of his campaign Dodon repeatedly called for strengthening ties with Russia, promoting Moldova’s integration with Eurasian projects. He also actively criticized his counterparts for the absence of any visible results of Moldova’s cooperation with the West. He also made promises to visit Moscow first if he gets elected. […]
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