Moldovan UG students and staff had the opportunity this Sunday to cast their vote for their new president at a Groningen polling station. With a pro-European incumbent versus a pro-Russian challenger, the country’s future was on the line, many felt.
In hotel Flonk on the Radesingel, students proudly gathered around the Moldovan flag, sporting Am votat stickers – ‘I voted’ in Romanian, the official language of the country.
Dana Muntean, married to a UG staffer, worked hard to get the word out about the new Groningen polling station. Prior to this year, voters had to travel to the Moldovan embassy in The Hague. She’s pleased with the turnout. ‘People didn’t hesitate to accept my invitation to mobilise everyone to do what’s right for our country today: get involved and choose a brighter future for us’, she said.
Pro-European trajectory
Sunday’s runoff election marked the final round of voting in the country’s presidential race between pro-European incumbent Maia Sandu and opposition bloc leader Alexandr Stoianoglo, representing the pro-Russian socialist party.
‘Moldova is European. Its destiny lies in the EU, and tonight, I hope we can celebrate the rectification of a historical wrong’, said Victoria Gavrisco, a master student of art, cognition, and criticism.
During the first round of the presidential election, on October 20, a referendum passed in favour of amending the constitution to include citizens’ wish for European Union membership. Voters in Groningen voiced how crucial it was for them to ensure Moldova remains on a pro-European trajectory.
Russian interference
‘A lot of young people are put in the position to leave Moldova to seek a better future in Western countries, and we all hope that one day our small country will also be in line with other European countries’, said fifth-year medical student and first-year PhD student Catalina Codreanu.
However, they worry about efforts to interfere with Moldovan democracy, primarily from Russian-backed operations. ‘Russia’s enormous efforts to jeopardise the European destiny of Moldova shows how important this country is to them’, Gavrisco says. ‘I sincerely hope that the mobilisation of pro-European voters for Maia Sandu will be just as significant.’
On Monday morning, the electoral committee announced Sandu had retained her position, winning 55 percent of the total vote.