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Moldova alleges 'massive' Russian election interference

By AAP Newswire

Nov 4, 2024

Moldova alleges 'massive' Russian election interference — As Moldova goes to the polls in the runoff presidential election, Russia is accused of interference. -EPA

Moldovan authorities are seeing "massive interference" by Russia in a runoff vote for the presidency, the incumbent president's national security advisor Stanislav Secrieru said.

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"An effort with high potential to distort the outcome," Secrieru said of the alleged interference in a post on social media platform X on Sunday.

Pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu, who has accelerated the nation's push to leave Moscow's orbit and join the EU, faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, an ex-prosecutor general backed by the traditionally pro-Russian Socialist Party.

Sunday's run-off comes two weeks after the first round, held jointly with a referendum vote in which Moldovans supported a constitutional amendment enshrining the country's path to European integration by a wafer-thin margin.

The police have cracked down to try to avoid a repeat of what they say was a vast vote-buying scheme deployed by Russian-backed fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor in the first round.

Russia denies interfering, while Shor has denied wrongdoing. He lives in Russia and has openly called on people via social media to vote against Sandu and promised payment for following his instructions.

Sandu has said the meddling affected the October 20 results and that Shor sought to buy the votes of 300,000 people, more than 10 per cent of the population.