{"id":121804,"date":"2024-11-04T02:38:03","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T19:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121804"},"modified":"2024-11-04T02:38:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T19:38:03","slug":"moldovans-choose-president-in-decisive-runoff-overshadowed-by-fraud-and-intimidation-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121804","title":{"rendered":"Moldovans choose president in decisive runoff overshadowed by fraud and intimidation claims"},"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>\n<p>CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) \u2014 Moldovans cast votes in a decisive presidential runoff Sunday that pits pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu against a Russia-friendly opponent, as ongoing claims of voter fraud, electoral interference, and intimidation <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/moldova-democracy-election-russia-disinformation-corruption-0a23e330da7121dbc34b085fc5d0d8ad\">threaten democracy<\/a><\/span> in the European Union candidate country.<\/p>\n<p>In the <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/moldova-elections-eu-referendum-russia-325cb2c13beb1d76565a6e2aadef971a\">first round held Oct. 20<\/a><\/span>, Sandu obtained 42% of the ballot but failed to win an outright majority. She faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general, who outperformed polls in the first round with almost 26% of the vote. <\/p>\n<p>Polling stations closed locally at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), by which time 1.68 million people \u2014 about 54% of eligible voters \u2014 had cast ballots, according to the Central Electoral Commission. Moldova\u2019s large diaspora also turned out in record numbers, with more than 315,000 casting ballots by the time local polls closed. <\/p>\n<p>A poll released by research company iData indicates a tight race that leans toward a narrow Sandu victory, an outcome that might rely on Moldova\u2019s large diaspora. The presidential role carries significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security and has a four-year term. <\/p>\n<h2>Allegations of vote-buying and Russian interference <\/h2>\n<p>Moldova\u2019s diaspora played a key role in a nationwide referendum also held on Oct. 20, when a narrow majority of 50.35% voted to secure Moldova\u2019s path toward EU membership. But the results of the ballots including Sunday\u2019s vote have been <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/moldova-election-eu-referendum-russia-639974a2d3acd8d647e787ede0fcbe24\">overshadowed by allegations of a major vote-buying scheme<\/a><\/span> and voter intimidation.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of winning the overwhelming support that Sandu had hoped, the results in both races exposed Moldova\u2019s judiciary as unable to adequately protect the <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/democracy\">democratic process<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, Moldovan police said they have \u201creasonable evidence\u201d of organized transportation of voters \u2014 illegal under the country\u2019s electoral code \u2014 to polling stations from within the country and from overseas, and are \u201cinvestigating and registering evidence in connection with air transport activities from Russia to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuch measures are taken to protect the integrity of the electoral process and to ensure that every citizen\u2019s vote is cast freely without undue pressure or influence,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n<p>Moldova\u2019s foreign ministry said on Sunday afternoon that polling stations in Frankfurt, Germany and Liverpool and Northampton in the U.K. had been targeted by false bomb threats, which \u201cintended only to stop the voting process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stanislav Secrieru, the president\u2019s national security adviser, wrote on X: \u201cWe are seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process,\u201d which he warned had a \u201chigh potential to distort the outcome\u201d of the vote. <\/p>\n<p>Secrieru later added that the national voter record systems were being targeted by \u201congoing coordinated cyberattacks\u201d to disrupt links between domestic polling stations and those abroad, and that cybersecurity teams were \u201cworking to counter these threats and ensure system continuity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moldova\u2019s Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that people throughout the country had received \u201canonymous death threats via phone calls\u201d in what he called \u201can extreme attack\u201d to scare voters in the former Soviet republic, which has a population of about 2.5 million people. <\/p>\n<p>After casting her ballot in Chisinau, Sandu said \u201ctoday, more than ever, we must be united, keep our peace, keep our vote, keep our independence\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThieves want to buy our vote, thieves want to buy our country, but the power of the people is infinitely greater,\u201d she told reporters. <\/p>\n<p>Outside a polling station in Romania\u2019s capital, Bucharest, 20-year-old medical student Silviana Zestrea said the runoff would be a \u201cdefinitive step\u201d toward Moldova\u2019s future. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople need to understand that we have to choose a true candidate that will fulfill our expectations,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause I think even if we are a diaspora now, none of us actually wanted to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Moldovan police expose a scheme allegedly plotted by a convicted oligarch <\/h2>\n<p>In the wake of the two October votes, Moldovan law enforcement said that a vote-buying scheme was orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch who lives in Russia and was <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/moldova-oligarch-ilan-shor-bank-fraud-chisinau-israel-maia-sandu-e7c9639f354f27c4975030f7b40629be\">convicted in absentia last year<\/a><\/span> of fraud and money laundering. Shor denies any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors say $39 million was paid to more than 130,000 recipients through an internationally sanctioned Russian bank to voters between September and October. Anti-corruption authorities have conducted hundreds of searches and seized over $2.7 million (2.5 million euros) in cash as they attempt to crack down. <\/p>\n<p>In one case in Gagauzia, an autonomous part of Moldova where only 5% voted in favor of the EU, a physician was detained after allegedly coercing 25 residents of a home for older adults to vote for a candidate they did not choose. Police said they obtained \u201cconclusive evidence,\u201d including financial transfers from the same Russian bank.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday at a church in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, Father Vasilii told The Associated Press that he\u2019s urged people to go and vote because it\u2019s a \u201ccivic obligation\u201d and that they do not name any candidates. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe use the goods the country offers us \u2014 light, gas,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether we like what the government does or not, we must go and vote. &#8230; The church always prays for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, prosecutors raided a political party headquarters and said 12 people were suspected of paying voters to select a candidate in the presidential race. A criminal case was also opened in which 40 state agency employees were suspected of taking electoral bribes. <\/p>\n<h2>Moldova\u2019s EU future at stake<\/h2>\n<p>Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, told AP that whatever the outcome of the second round, it \u201cwill not deflate\u201d geopolitical tensions. \u201cOn the contrary, I expect geopolitical polarization to be amplified by the campaign for the 2025 legislative elections.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Moldovan law enforcement needs more resources and better-trained staff working at a faster pace to tackle voter fraud, he added, to \u201ccreate an environment in which anyone tempted to either buy or sell votes knows there will be clear and fast consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Savlina Adasan, a 21-year-old economics student in Bucharest, said she voted for Sandu and cited concerns about corruption and voters uninformed about the two candidates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want a European future for our country,\u201d she said, adding that it offers \u201cmany opportunities, development for our country \u2026 and I feel like if the other candidate wins, then it means that we are going ten steps back as a country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pro-Western government has been in power in Moldova since 2021, and a parliamentary election will be held in 2025. Moldova watchers warn that next year\u2019s vote could be Moscow\u2019s main target. <\/p>\n<p>In the wake of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied to join the EU. It was granted candidate status in June of that year, and in summer 2024, Brussels agreed <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/eu-enlargement-talks-ukraine-moldova-b19ffc535451fb43b75ea5d930359fe2\">to start membership negotiations<\/a><\/span>. The sharp Westward shift irked Moscow and significantly soured relations with Chisinau.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Moldovan authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of waging a vast \u201chybrid war,\u201d from sprawling disinformation campaigns to protests by pro-Russia parties to vote-buying schemes that undermine countrywide elections. Russia has denied it is meddling.<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<p>McGrath reported from Bucharest, Romania. Associated Press writer Nicolae Dumitrache in Comrat, Moldova, contributed to this report. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>\n  window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n              appId : '870613919693099',\n          xfbml : true,\n          version : 'v2.9'\n      });\n  };\n  (function(d, s, id){\n     var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n     if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}\n     js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n     js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n     fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n   }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><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:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/moldova-presidential-election-russia-corruption-fraud-5886447779a4a818e9f30fdadcb8bbe5\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) \u2014 Moldovans cast votes in a decisive presidential runoff Sunday that pits pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu against a Russia-friendly opponent, as ongoing claims of voter fraud, electoral &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121804\" 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-121804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121804","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=121804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121804\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}