Alexandr Stoianoglo

Moldova's pro-EU incumbent Maia Sandu on Sunday won a tense presidential runoff, beating her rival backed by a pro-Russian party in what she described as a "lesson in democracy."

The election in the ex-Soviet republic that lies sandwiched between war-torn Ukraine and the European Union has been overshadowed by allegations of meddling by Moscow.

In a win for pro-EU forces in Moldova, incumbent President Maia Sandu defeated Alexandr Stoianoglo in the November 3 presidential runoff, securing a second term. Sandu achieved a roughly 54% to 45% lead, with nearly all ballots counted.

A referendum on Moldova joining the EU passed with a razor-thin majority on Monday as pro-Brussels President Maia Sandu blamed the outcome on foreign meddling in a veiled reference to Russia, which denied the accusations.

The Kremlin called on Sandu to "prove" election interference in the ex-Soviet republic bordering war-torn Ukraine and alleged "anomalies" in Moldova's vote count.

Moldova narrowly voted in favor of advancing EU membership talks, according to early results on Monday, in a significant development for President Maia Sandu. Sandu had sought overwhelming support for closer EU integration, but the vote passed with only a slim majority of 50.24%, based on returns from 98.74% of polling stations.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused foreign interference of attempting to manipulate the country's presidential election and referendum on European integration, describing it as an "unprecedented" attack. In her statement, Sandu claimed that criminal groups, collaborating with foreign entities hostile to Moldova, attempted to buy 300,000 votes.

The General Prosecutor's building in Chisinau, Moldova, August 18, 2021. Photo:EPA-EFE/Doru Dumitru

Moldovan anti-graft prosecutors detained General Prosecutor Alexandr Stoianoglo on Tuesday night for 72 hours on four charges related to corruption and abuse of power.

Moldova's new Justice Minister, Sergiu Litvinenco, has warned prosecutors that the times of legal impunity for rich oligarchs and those who have committed crimes are over.

Moldovan deputies taking a vote in the Parliament, Photo: EPA/Doru Dumitru

General Prosecutor Alexandr Stoianoglo earlier on Monday said approval of the lifting of immunity was needed "to detain, search for, arrest and prosecute the deputy". Jardan was promptly detained for 72 hours right after the session ended.

Moldova's General Prosecutor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, on Monday said the fugitive tycoon Vlad Plahotniuc, the former leader of the Democratic Party, PD, had illegally got hold of 100 million US dollars from the banking system.

Moldovan prosecutors on Thursday detained four members of the board of the National Bank of Moldova, BNM, all current or former leaders of the bank, in relation to the so-called grand theft of a billion US dollars from the banking system between 2012 and 2014.