{"id":121915,"date":"2024-11-04T09:45:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T02:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121915"},"modified":"2024-11-04T09:45:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T02:45:07","slug":"moldovas-pro-western-president-wins-2nd-term-in-runoff-overshadowed-by-russian-meddling-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121915","title":{"rendered":"Moldova\u2019s pro-Western president wins 2nd term in runoff overshadowed by Russian meddling 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 data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm327ubix000o356mb6rt6ia3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) \u2014 Moldova\u2019s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race that was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud, and intimidation in the European Union candidate country.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32abcte001a356mbxhqco8t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            With nearly 99% of votes counted in the second round of the presidential election held Sunday, Sandu had 55% of the vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission, or CEC, compared to 45% for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general who was backed by the pro-Russia Party of Socialists.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32abcte001b356mj4x7o31b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The result will be a major relief for the pro-Western government, which strongly backed Sandu\u2019s candidacy, and her push for closer Western ties on Moldova\u2019s path toward the EU.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32abcte001c356me9s9g6j0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cMoldova, you are victorious! Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books. Today, you have saved Moldova!\u201d Sandu said after claiming victory after midnight.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm326pedq0009356m9g60npiv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            She went on to claim that her country\u2019s vote had faced an \u201cunprecedented attack\u201d through alleged schemes including dirty money, vote-buying, and electoral interference \u201cby hostile forces from outside the country\u201d and criminal groups.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm326r0qs000e356mxb6fw9nf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cYou have shown that nothing can stand in the way of the people\u2019s power when they choose to speak through their vote,\u201d she added.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32abt9c001f356mqa2t0o2h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Speaking before the final vote count, Stoianoglo told the media that \u201ceveryone\u2019s voice deserves respect\u201d and that he hopes \u201cfrom now on, we will put an end to the hatred and division imposed on us.\u201d It isn\u2019t clear if he has publicly commented on his electoral defeat.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ac07g001k356mmhirfslp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            When polls closed locally at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), turnout stood at more than 1.68 million people \u2014 about 54% of eligible voters, according to the CEC. Moldova\u2019s large diaspora, which cast ballots in record numbers of more than 325,000 voted, heavily in favor of Sandu in the runoff.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32abzbb001i356m8fn6j7br@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In the first round held Oct. 20, Sandu obtained 42% of the ballot but failed to win an outright majority over the second place Stoianoglo. The presidential role carries significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security and has a four-year term.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32aceys001p356ml101hxkr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu on her victory, by writing on X: \u201cIt takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you\u2019ve faced in this election.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cm32acfjb001t356mdtwbhtt4@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"allegations-of-vote-buying-and-russian-interference\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n        Allegations of vote-buying and Russian interference<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32aceyt001q356mlhgn09bf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Moldova\u2019s diaspora played a key role in the presidential vote and in a nationwide referendum 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 were overshadowed by allegations of a major vote-buying scheme and voter intimidation.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32aceyt001r356m6kbzed21@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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 democratic process.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32aceyt001s356msjd7mnfb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            On Sunday, Moldovan police said they had \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\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ac9y8001n356mjjknm7uu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \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.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32acsje001y356ms4m4vs9e@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32acsje001z356m1kf2ehod@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32acsjf0020356mwiledgzi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32acrif001w356mlwkd2oea@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm32ai78b0032356mki0eqto6@published\" class=\"image image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"2024-11-03T142659Z_1140770971_RC2OXAAEJ650_RTRMADP_3_MOLDOVA-ELECTION.JPG\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.664\" data-original-height=\"1992\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t142659z-1140770971-rc2oxaaej650-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image__picture\"><source height=\"1992\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t142659z-1140770971-rc2oxaaej650-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1992\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t142659z-1140770971-rc2oxaaej650-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1992\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t142659z-1140770971-rc2oxaaej650-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1992\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t142659z-1140770971-rc2oxaaej650-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t142659z-1140770971-rc2oxaaej650-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"A man casts his vote into a mobile ballot box as members of a local electoral commission visit her house during the second round of the presidential election in Chisinau, Moldova November 3, 2024. REUTERS\/Vladislav Culiomza\" class=\"image__dam-img image__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1992\" width=\"3000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32acznv0025356mtu05ridx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            After casting her ballot in Chisinau, Sandu told reporters: \u201cThieves want to buy our vote, thieves want to buy our country, but the power of the people is infinitely greater.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32acznv0026356mznm5788k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32acznv0027356m8w2jscht@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \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\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002d356m1hbvnl9l@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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 convicted in absentia last year of fraud and money laundering. Shor denies any wrongdoing.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002e356mwka2tyc1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002f356moyoado6b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002g356mr4mww0eh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            On Saturday, at a church in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, Father Vasilii told The Associated Press that he had urged people to go and vote because it\u2019s a \u201ccivic obligation\u201d and that they do not name any candidates.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002h356m18qupydp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \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. \u2026 The church always prays for peace.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002i356mw8zlv82h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002k356mtfgqp0u7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002l356mhv4tin2m@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002m356mx00hcac0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm32al626003b356mxtvz0cok@published\" class=\"image image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"2024-11-03T223244Z_1351353691_RC2YXAAE7CID_RTRMADP_3_MOLDOVA-ELECTION.JPG\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6676666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2003\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t223244z-1351353691-rc2yxaae7cid-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image__picture\"><source height=\"2003\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t223244z-1351353691-rc2yxaae7cid-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2003\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t223244z-1351353691-rc2yxaae7cid-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2003\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t223244z-1351353691-rc2yxaae7cid-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2003\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t223244z-1351353691-rc2yxaae7cid-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/2024-11-03t223244z-1351353691-rc2yxaae7cid-rtrmadp-3-moldova-election.JPG?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Moldova's incumbent President and presidential candidate Maia Sandu celebrates with supporters following the announcement of the preliminary results of the second round of the presidential election, at her campaign headquarters in Chisinau, Moldova November 3, 2024.\" class=\"image__dam-img image__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2003\" width=\"3000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002n356m22ywnkby@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \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 10 steps back as a country.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002o356m6zdzcwd1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm32ad9th002p356m0u5pafni@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            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 to start membership negotiations. The sharp westward shift irked Moscow and significantly soured relations with Chisinau.\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/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.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/03\/europe\/moldova-election-sandu-russia-intl-latam\/index.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) \u2014 Moldova\u2019s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race that was overshadowed by &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121915\" 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-121915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121915","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=121915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121915\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}