On Monday 14 November, the EU cautiously welcomed the election, the day before, of new Moldovan President Igor Dodon, stating that it is prepared to work with him in the spirit of the EU-Moldova association agreement, signed at the end of 2013 and fully implemented since July this year (see EUROPE 11585).
"The EU is committed to working with the authorities of Moldova in support of the reform process that is at the core of our association agreement, in particular as regards fighting corruption, ensuring the independence of the judiciary, de-politicising the state institutions and reforming the administration. In this spirit, the European Union is also looking forward to working with the elected president. The president, the government and the parliament will need to work together to undertake the necessary reform steps in the interest of all citizens of Moldova", said the spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Maja Kocijančič.
The EEAS also states that it is closely monitoring the publication of the full results of the election, which was observed by an election observation mission of the OSCE. The results have still to be validated by the Moldovan Constitutional Court. Welcoming the preliminary results of the OSCE mission regarding the correct unfolding of the election process, the EEAS however criticises a number of issues, such as the "polarised" media coverage, the "harsh and intolerant rhetoric", the lack of transparency in campaign financing and the abuse of administrative resources. It also regretted the fact that many Moldovan citizens who were abroad or in the region of Transnistria had been unable to vote because not enough ballots had been allocated to their respective polling stations.
The election victory of Igor Dodon, the pro-Russian candidate and first head of state to be elected by universal suffrage since 1996 in this former republic of the USSR in deep political crisis, has been cautiously welcomed by the EU as, during his campaign, the president elect pledged to work to make changes to the commercial plank of the EU-Moldova association agreement to ensure that Moldova can trade with Russia as it can with the EU.
This agreement, which allowed the European market to be opened up gradually to Moldovan exports to the point at which the EU absorbs 50% of them, provoked the wrath of Russia, which immediately slammed an embargo on Moldovan fruits and meat, punishing a population which lives mainly from agriculture.
Welcoming Dodon's election, Russia called for a normalisation of its relations with the country, following two years of tension in the wake of the EU-Moldova association agreement. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)