Moldovan president speaks of "unprecedented attack" against Moldova after winning election

Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who was re-elected for a second term, has said that her country had been attacked in an unprecedented way during the elections.

"Moldova has been subjected to one of the most unprecedented attacks in the history of Europe: dirty money, illegal vote buying, interference of criminal groups in the electoral process, spreading hatred and fear in our society. But our people have united, and citizens have won," Sandu stated at her campaign headquarters.

Sandu also addressed voters in Russian, saying she heard the voices of those who supported her and those who voted for her rival, the pro-Russian Socialist Party candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo. Sandu promised to be president for all.

"No one will lose in our choice of a decent future. We may hold different points of view and speak different languages, but we all want peace, mutual understanding and a decent life for our children. This is my main goal for Moldova in the coming years. We need to unite our society," Sandu said in Russian.

Sandu was re-elected to a second term by more than 10 percentage points over Stoianoglo.

She won mainly due to strong support from the diaspora. The vote count inside Moldova confirmed that Stoianoglo would have won if the foreign voters had not been counted.

On election day, 3 November, Sandu accused Russia of massive interference in the second round.