Igor Dodon got 52.2% of the votes in Sunday’s election. His opponent, Maia Sandu, who promised to fight corruption, received 47.8%.
After winning, Dodon, the leader of the Socialist Party, said he wants to hold early parliamentary elections next year to remove the current government, which supports closer ties with the European Union (EU).
He told Russian TV that voters chose friendship with Russia and neutrality. Dodon also wants to cancel a trade deal Moldova signed with the EU in 2014.
Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Dodon to visit Moscow and said he looks forward to working together.
Maia Sandu said the election was not fair and accused her opponents of cheating and using unfair methods, like controlling the media and government resources. She asked for the people in charge of the elections to resign.
International observers said basic freedoms were respected, but the media was very divided and the election atmosphere was tense.
On Monday, about 3,000 young Moldovans protested in the capital, Chisinau, shouting “Down with the Mafia!”
There were also problems for Moldovans voting abroad, with long lines and running out of ballots. Sandu said the election was badly organized.
Dodon’s win was celebrated with fireworks in the Gagauzia region, where many ethnic Russians live.
Dodon declared himself the winner at midnight on Sunday and promised to be a president for all Moldovans. He said he wants good relationships with neighboring countries Romania and Ukraine.
The Moldovan president handles the country’s foreign policy and appoints judges but needs the parliament’s approval for big decisions. This time, Dodon is the first president in 20 years to be elected directly by the people, not by parliament.
Dodon, 41, presents himself as a traditional Moldovan with conservative values. He used public anger about $1 billion stolen from Moldovan banks before 2014 to gain support.
He wants to cancel a law that forces taxpayers to pay back the stolen money but will need parliament’s approval. He hasn’t asked for a full investigation into the theft.
Dodon also wants better ties with Russia, which stopped buying Moldovan wine and fruit after Moldova made a deal with the EU.
However, Dodon cannot cancel the EU trade deal because parliament approved it.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the government and the new president must work together but said Moldova’s path to join the EU will not change.
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