Although Sandu has weaned Moldova off Russian gas, it came at a heavy cost to one of Europe’s poorest countries. Inflation briefly rocketed to more than 30%, causing poverty to tick up. Some have also criticized Sandu’s “cynical” decision to hold ...

Moldova's pro-European President Maia Sandu was the clear winner in Sunday's runoff election amid ongoing allegations of Russian interference. She now pledges to accelerate reform and consolidate democratization.

The close election demonstrates the challenging path toward Western democracy for former Soviet states.