{"id":121616,"date":"2024-11-03T14:26:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T07:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121616"},"modified":"2024-11-03T14:26:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T07:26:25","slug":"moldovas-pro-eu-leader-in-tight-run-off-as-russia-denies-meddling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121616","title":{"rendered":"Moldova&#8217;s pro-EU leader in tight run-off as Russia denies meddling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 ejjhCR\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/73b9\/live\/e50569e0-9869-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"DANIEL MIHAILESCU\/AFP Moldovan President and candidate for Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) party Maia Sandu casts her ballots for the presidential election and referendum on joining the European Union, at a polling station in Chisinau on October 20, 2024\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">DANIEL MIHAILESCU\/AFP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Although Maia Sandu was well ahead after the first round, her rival has the support of several other candidates<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Moldovans are going to the polls in the second round run-off of a presidential election seen as a choice between a European future or a return to Russian influence.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Pro-European President Maia Sandu faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, a man she fired as chief prosecutor, who has promised to balance foreign policy between the West and Russia and has the backing of the pro-Russian Party of Socialists. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Sandu and Moldova&#8217;s authorities have warned that a fugitive oligarch now based in Russia is trying to buy the election for Moscow.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The Kremlin has denied interfering in the vote, much as it did during last weekend&#8217;s disputed elections in Georgia, whose president described the vote as a &#8220;Russian special operation&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;We resolutely reject any accusations that we are somehow interfering in this. We are not doing this,&#8221; said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Sandu won the first round of the vote two weeks ago with 42.4%, well ahead of Alexandr Stoianoglo on 26%, but short of the 50% she needed to win outright. His vote is likely to increase because of the votes of candidates who failed to reach the run-off.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Stoianoglo has told Moldovans he would be an &#8220;apolitical president&#8221; for everyone, with a goal of security, peace and prosperity, and a &#8220;truly European model&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">But commentators and politicians have warned that a Stoianoglu victory could radically change the political landscape in the Danube and Black Sea region, not because he is some kind of &#8220;Trojan horse&#8221;, but rather because Russia has thrown its weight behind him.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/40f3\/live\/b837ec10-986b-11ef-94ac-ef444091525a.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Reuters A view shows an election banner of Moldova's presidential candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo in Chisinau, Moldova October 30, 2024\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">Reuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Alexandr Stoianoglo promises Moldovans to save their country from four more years of &#8220;abuse and ruin&#8221;<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Former Moldovan Defence Minister Anatol Salaru said the election would decide whether Moldova would &#8220;continue the process of European integration or return to the Russia fold&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">A former Soviet republic flanked by Ukraine and Romania and one of Europe&#8217;s poorest countries, Moldova has a population of 2.5 million. It also has a large expat population of 1.2 million, whose votes could prove key to Maia Sandu in the run-off. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Moldova has opened talks on joining the European Union, and on the same day of the first round Moldovans voted by a whisker to back a change to the constitution embracing the commitment to join the EU.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The tiny margin in favour came as a surprise, although Maia Sandu said there was clear evidence of attempts to buy 300,000 votes. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The BBC spoke to one voter who said she and others had sold their votes for up to 1,000 roubles (\u00a38).<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">BBC finds evidence of Russian vote buying in Moldova&#8217;s EU vote<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Whatever Russia&#8217;s role behind the scenes, police said fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor had moved $39m (\u00a330m) over two months from Moscow into Moldovan bank accounts in September and October, benefiting at least 138,000 voters.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Shor denies wrongdoing but did promise cash handouts to people prepared to back his call for a &#8220;firm No&#8221; to the EU. He faces a lengthy jail sentence in Moldova for money laundering and embezzlement.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Stoianoglo denies links to Ilan Shor but he does have the backing of the opposition pro-Russian Party of Socialists, led by ex-president Igor Dodon.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">A populist ex-mayor who came third has refused to back either him or Maia Sandu, criticising both in equal measure.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;Do what you see fit. You must decide on your own,&#8221; Renato Usatii told his supporters, blowing the race wide open.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cq6lyzj9dddo\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DANIEL MIHAILESCU\/AFP Although Maia Sandu was well ahead after the first round, her rival has the support of several other candidates Moldovans are going to the polls in the second &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121616\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}