Presidential election in Moldova: the Kremlin congratulates Maia Sandu

Maia Sandu's press conference in Chisinau, November 16, after the announcement of her presidential victory.

REUTERS / Vladislav Culiomza

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The Kremlin has still not congratulated Joe Biden on his victory and is waiting to do so until legal remedies are exhausted.

Moscow did not delay, however, to congratulate the new president of Moldova, Maia Sandu elected with 57% of the votes this Sunday against the outgoing president Igor Dodon.

The new Moldovan leader was nevertheless considered a pro-European candidate.

His victory is therefore not really good news for the Russian authorities.

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With our correspondent in Moscow

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It is a brief statement of a few lines, published on the Kremlin website.

Lapidary, but unequivocal: the Russian president " 

 " Maia Sandu on her victory.

The press release was released just hours after the final results were announced.

Such a speed was not obvious, because for Vladimir Poutin, the victory of Maia Sandu constitutes rather bad news.

Throughout the electoral campaign, the Kremlin did not spare any effort to avoid the coming to power of a candidate considered to be pro-European.

For his part, the outgoing president, the socialist Igor Dodon, had put forward the support of Russia - and the promises of financial aid which were to result from it.

Finally, Moscow accused the United States of wanting to prepare a color revolution in Moldova.

But all these efforts will not have been enough to avoid the defeat of the pro-Russian camp.

Russia takes note of this failure, and of the possible loss of influence that Maia Sandu's victory will entail for her in this former Soviet republic.

But she knows that other electoral deadlines are coming, because the new Moldovan president does not have a majority in Parliament.

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