Sandu officially recognized as President of Moldova for second term

On Monday afternoon, the Central Election Commission reported that 100% of the votes had been counted. Maia Sandu received support from 55.33% of voters (929,964 votes), while her opponent, Stoianoglo, garnered 44.67% (750,644 votes). Sandu was re-elected primarily due to the votes cast abroad, despite her opponent winning in Moldova by nearly 40,000 votes.

As of 09:50 a.m. on Monday, November 4, the Central Election Commission has counted 99.86% of the votes.  Maia Sandu remains the leader with 55.41% of support (930,512 votes). Her opponent has 44.59% (748,781 votes).

As of 6:40 a.m. on Monday, November 4, the Central Election Commission had counted 99.55% of the vote.

With 99.14% of the ballots counted (as of 5:15 a.m. on Monday, November 4), Maia Sandu wins the election. At this time, her level of support was 55.09%. Her opponent, Alexandru Stoianoglo, was supported by 44.91% of voters.

How the elections unfolded in Moldova

Ziarul de Gardă reported the information.

Moldova’s elections follow the standard procedure — universal, equal, direct, secret, and free voting. Moldovan citizens aged 18 and above are eligible to vote, except those disqualified by a court ruling.

By 10:00 a.m., the Central Election Commission (CEC) reported higher voter turnout than in the first round. A total of 291,153 voters, making up 10.58% of the electorate, had cast their ballots. The most active regions were Rezina District (turnout over 12%) and the municipality of Chisinau (around 10%).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted a significant rise in participation among Moldovans abroad. By 10:00 a.m., 30,200 expatriates had voted, already surpassing numbers from the first round.

Election validity confirmed

As of 11:30 a.m., the presidential election officially met the minimum turnout requirements. According to the CEC, by this time, over 550,000 voters — 20% of eligible voters — had turned out, crossing the legal threshold for validity. This was higher than the 12.09% turnout at 11:00 a.m. during the first round, reports Chisinau’s TV8 channel.

Moldova’s laws require a 20% turnout for the election to be declared valid. Interestingly, women are leading in voter turnout at 52.32%, compared to 47.68% for men. Youth turnout, however, remains low, with only 4.93% for ages 18-25 and 9.53% for ages 26-35.

As of 1:00 p.m., voter turnout in Moldova had reached 30%, according to the Central Election Commission's (CEC) official website.

Regarding voting abroad, the CEC noted active participation from Moldovan citizens overseas. The highest numbers were recorded in Moscow, Russia, with over 2,400 and 2,100 voters at two polling stations, followed by Bucharest, Romania, with over 2,400 voters, Brescia, Italy, with approximately 1,700 voters, and Padua, Italy, with over 1,600 voters. Ten polling stations were also opened in the United States and Canada, with 11 more set to open in other locations throughout the day.

Journalists reported that voters from the Russian-controlled region of Transnistria were being transported to polling stations in an organized manner, while some Moldovan voters from Moscow were flown to Minsk.

By 4:00 p.m., turnout had risen to over 43%, with more than 1,285,000 people having cast their ballots. This is a notable increase compared to the first round of voting on October 20, 2024, when turnout was 39.4% with over 1,143,000 votes cast. The CEC highlighted a particularly strong turnout abroad, where over 200,000 voters have participated so far.

In a press release, the CEC urged citizens to vote at the nearest polling station with sufficient ballot availability, directing them to the diaspora.cec.md app for information.

Election Violations

Throughout the day, authorities responded to 18 isolated cases of election-related corruption, with two instances resulting in reports for passive corruption. Investigations have also been launched in cases where violations are suspected, and a total of 126 incidents have been documented, including:

• Photographing ballots – 42 cases
• Damage to ballots – 2 cases
• Prohibited campaigning on election day – 20 cases
• Unauthorized election demonstrations – 6 cases
• Organized transportation of voters – 12 cases
• Presence of multiple individuals in a voting booth – 1 case
• Over 20 additional cases involving other violations

Polling stations are scheduled to close at 9:00 p.m. in Chisinau.

Bridge across Dniester from Transnistria blocked for the second time in one day

As of Sunday evening, November 3, 2024, Moldovan police halted traffic on the road bridge from the Transnistrian town of Ribnita to the city of Rezina for the second time that day, coinciding with the presidential elections in Moldova.

The first suspension of traffic occurred earlier in the day due to the suspicious behavior of a man with a box in his car, who refused to cooperate with the police or reveal its contents. The second stop was prompted by an anonymous bomb threat reported to the 112 emergency hotline.

Fake mining of polling stations

A total of six polling stations were reported as "mined" both in Moldova and abroad, resulting in temporary closures for inspection. Of these, only three have since resumed voting.

At 7:00 p.m., two hours before the polls closed, voter turnout exceeded 52%, with more than 1,606,000 voters casting their ballots. For comparison, the turnout at the same time during the first round of voting on October 20, 2024, was 48.7%, according to the Moldovan Central Election Commission.

In the Chisinau municipality, over 53% of eligible voters participated, while turnout in the municipality of Balti was around 50%, and in the autonomous region of Gagauzia, it surpassed 49%.

More than 24,200 individuals were registered to vote at polling stations for residents from the left bank of the Dniester (officially referred to as Transnistria in Moldova). The highest turnout was reported at three polling stations in Varnita and Anenii Noi, where approximately 2,200, 2,000, and over 1,900 voters participated, respectively.

9:00 p.m. - Polling stations closed

By the time polling stations closed, turnout had exceeded 54%. Reports indicated a shortage of ballots in Abu Dhabi, leading to long lines at many polling stations across Europe. Notably, the Moldovan diaspora achieved a record level of participation, with around 300,000 Moldovans voting at polling stations abroad.

• Moldova held its first round and a national referendum on EU membership on October 20. In the first round, Maia Sandu secured 42% of votes, while Alexandr Stoianoglo received 26%. Pro-EU supporters emerged victorious in the referendum with 50.35% backing membership.
• Ahead of the first round, Moldovan authorities uncovered a major Russian-funded vote-buying network, allegedly financed by fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor.