In 2016, Sandu was the pro-European candidate in theMoldovan presidential election. She was selected as the joint candidate of thepro-EuropeanPPDA andPAS parties for president of Moldova in the2016 election. Running on a pro-EU action platform, she was one of the two candidates who managed to reach the runoff of the election.[11] Sandu faced a significant amount of discrimination during the race, including being a target of insults and harassment for being a single woman, as well as being openly attacked by former Moldovan presidentVladimir Voronin, who accused her of betraying "family values", alongside describing her as "a laughingstock, a sin, and a national disgrace of Moldova" in remarks that were widely considered as profoundlymisogynistic. She rejected the insults in an interview, replying that "I never thought being a single woman is a shame. Maybe it is a sin even to be a woman?"[5][6] Eventually, Sandu was defeated in the subsequent runoff by the pro-RussianPSRM candidate,Igor Dodon, losing the popular vote by a margin of 48% to 52%.[14]
As of December 2022, Sandu ranks as the most trusted politician in Moldova, polling at 26%, with Igor Dodon following behind at 19%.[15] According to the 2019 opinion polls conducted by Public Opinion Fund, Sandu was ranked as the second most trusted political personality in the country, polling at 24%, closely following Igor Dodon, who polled at 26%,[16] while older polls that year placed her lower, in sixth place.[17]
In September 2016, Sandu instituted proceedings against the State Chancellery, demanding that she be given an insight into the minutes of the Cabinet meeting at which the state guarantees for the three bankrupt banks (the Bank of Savings (Romanian:Banca de Economii), Unibank, and theBanca Socială) had been approved.[18] Prime MinisterPavel Filip published on his Facebook page the minutes of the last Cabinet meeting, at the time when the decision on granting the emergency credit to Banca de Economii was adopted. The minutes included the speeches of former Governor of NBM, Dorin Drăguțanu, former Prime MinisterChiril Gaburici, and Sandu's own speeches (from the time when she served as Moldova's minister of education). It is mentioned that, in the end, the decision was voted on unanimously. The minutes were not signed.[19]
Regarding the former leader of Romania,Ion Antonescu, Sandu remarked in 2018 that he was "a historical figure about whom we may say both good and bad things." Her statements were sharply criticised by the Jewish Community of Moldova (CERM).[20][21] Sandu replied to this in later interviews by stating: "I regret that my words about the dictator Ion Antonescu were made an object of interpretation. [...] Antonescu was a war criminal, rightly condemned by the international community for war crimes against Jewish and Roma people."[22][23]
On 21 February 2019, Sandu and the candidates of the ACUM electoral bloc, both of the national and uninominal constituency, signed a public commitment according to which, after the Parliamentary elections of 24 February 2019, they would not make any coalition with the Party of Socialists, Democratic Party and Shor Party, while if this commitment were violated they would resign as MPs.[24][25][26][27] She violated this self-imposed commitment after agreeing toform a coalition government along with theParty of Socialists in early June 2019 as the only way forward to create a legitimate and democratic government.[28]
The next day, she called for the restoration of public order, discouraging citizens from attending local rallies.[33] In June 2019, she lifted a March 2017 ban by former Prime Minister Filip on official visits by government officials toRussia.[34] In one of her first interviews with foreign media, she announced her intention to request that theUnited States Treasury addVlad Plahotniuc to theMagnitsky List.[35] In August, Sandu requested that the State Chancellery prepare a draft decree, which would officially declare 23 August as theEuropean Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism, instead of the regularLiberation Day. The decree was opposed by her coalition partner, thePSRM, with Moldova's president and ex-PSRM leaderIgor Dodon announcing that he would celebrate the date in the old style, rejecting Sandu's proposal.[36]
Sandu with US Vice-PresidentMike Pence in Washington, D.C., 18 September 2019
Under Sandu, Moldova began taking steps towards theEuropean Union, as Sandu herself is pro-EU. Sandu was ousted as prime minister on 12 November 2019, following a vote ofno confidence. She remained as a caretaker of the office until the formation of a new government.[37] However, on 24 December 2020, Sandu took office as state president,[38][39] after winning a landslide election against the pro-Russian Igor Dodon, and again on a pro-EU and anti-corruption platform. Under Sandu's leadership, Moldova is once more in a position to resume moving forward towards European integration.
Sandu announced her candidacy for the 2020 presidential election on 18 July,[40] declaring that a jointpro-European candidate would not be required as there was no risk of there being no pro-European candidates in the second round.[41] Sandu officially launched her campaign on 2 October 2020, giving two speeches in Romanian and Russian, both times promising to fightcorruption andpoverty, alongside reforming the country'scriminal justice system,[42] while accusing President Dodon of deliberately hindering the latter.[43][44][45][46] Considering that no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of the election, a run-off between Sandu and Dodon was held on 15 November, in which Sandu won with 57.75% of the popular vote.[38][39]
She was congratulated on her win by senior leaders of theEuropean Union, as well as PresidentsVolodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine,[47]Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ofKazakhstan,[48]Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan,[49] andKlaus Iohannis ofRomania.[50] In her press conference, she declared that Moldova under her leadership "will secure real balance in the foreign policy, being guided by Moldova's national interests, we will have a pragmatic dialogue with all the countries, including Romania, Ukraine, European nations, Russia, and the United States."[51]
Launching her re-election campaign, Sandu condemnedRussia's war in Ukraine as a threat to regional stability and Moldova's sovereignty. She identified bothRussia andcorruption as the biggest challenges facing Moldova, emphasizing that addressing these issues is crucial for Moldova's security and its aspirations for closer integration with theEuropean Union.[52] In the presidential debate, Sandu accused her main opponent,Alexandr Stoianoglo of thePSRM, of being a "Trojan horse" candidate for outside interests wanting control of Moldova.[53] She said she would continue her pro-European course, saying, "Joining theEuropean Union is Moldova'sMarshall Plan".[54] After winning a plurality of the vote in the first round, Sandu won the second round over Stoianoglo with 55.35% of the vote. Sandu declared in her victory speech; "Moldova, you are victorious! Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books. Today, you have saved Moldova."[55][56]
The2024 Moldovan European Union membership constitutional referendum was held on the same day as the first round in the presidential election. Sandu actively campaigned for the 'Yes' vote supporting European integration, which ultimately won by a narrow margin.[57] Sandu attributed the result of the first round and the referendum to foreign interference and described it as an "unprecedented assault on democracy", adding that her government had evidence that 150,000 votes had been bought, with an objective of 300,000. The European Union also said that the two exercises had taken place "under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies".[58]
Sandu was sworn in on 24 December 2020 in thePalace of the Republic. During the ceremony, she appealed for national unity, speaking in Russian,Ukrainian,Gagauz, andBulgarian towards the end of her remarks.[59] Thousands of her supporters greeted her outside the palace, chanting slogans like "Maia Sandu and the people!" and "The people love you!"[60] After the ceremony, she met Dodon at the Presidential Palace for a ceremony in which Dodon officially transferred presidential power to her.[60] That day, she met with acting Prime MinisterIon Chicu. Before taking office, she suspended her PAS membership; recent convention calls for the president to not be a formal member of a party.
On 28 December, she met the parliamentary factions for consultations.[63] On 31 December, Sandu named Foreign MinisterAureliu Ciocoi acting prime minister after Chicu refused to stay on in an acting capacity.[64][65][66] The ex-president of the country, leader of theParty of Communists,Vladimir Voronin, and the Leader of Our Party,Renato Usatii,[67] proposed their candidacies for the post of prime minister. At a briefing following her visit to Ukraine, Sandu also touched upon the appointment of the prime minister, stating that "Neither Voronin nor Usatii is suitable for the role of prime minister. We need a serious government, created following early elections."[68] On 27 January 2021, she nominatedNatalia Gavrilița as a candidate for the position of Prime Minister, saying that she has the "task of creating the government team and preparing a government program focused on economic development and cleaning up the institutions of the state of corruption."[69] The very next day, Sandu asked MPs to reject her proposed Prime Minister in order to speed up the process of dissolution and early elections.[70]
Sandu re-nominated Gavrilița on 11 February.[71] TheConstitutional Court of Moldova declared the decree unconstitutional, reasoning that Sandu should have accepted a proposal from 54 MPs (primarily from PSRM) to instead nominateMariana Durleșteanu, a former Moldovan ambassador to the United Kingdom. Sandu refused the proposal of the Constitutional Court and Parliament, saying, "I have said repeatedly that the only way for Moldova to move forward is to organise new parliamentary elections."[72][73]
Before the Gavrilița Government could be voted on, some PSRM deputies presented a list signed by PSRM, Pentru Moldova (including theȘor Party), and another 3 unaffiliated MPs for supporting the candidature ofMariana Durleșteanu.[74] Sandu declared afterwards that she would not continue consultations, but would not nominate another candidate for Prime Minister. Two options remained: snap elections or a referendum for Sandu's impeachment.[75] On 16 March, she again met with parties in the Parliament for consultations. The PSRM delegation was led byIgor Dodon, the president of the party, but not a deputy in the Parliament. At the same time, without Dodon's knowledge, Durleșteanu announced that she was withdrawing her candidature.[76] After the consultations, Sandu announced that it was impossible to form a parliamentary majority, and in order to end the political crisis, she nominatedIgor Grosu as Prime Minister.[77]
More political figures, such asPavel Filip andAndrian Candu claimed that Sandu had reached an agreement with Igor Dodon in order to hold early parliamentary elections. Some political analysts stated that the withdrawal of Durleșteanu was planned in order to get closer to snap elections.[78][79]
On 25 March, Parliament did not vote for Grosu, and the majority of the deputies left the building.[80] Sandu had consultations with all parliamentary forces on 26 and 29 March.[81][82] After the Constitutional Court declared the state of emergency unconstitutional, she dissolved the Parliament and called for an earlysnap parliamentary election on 11 July.[83]
During the visit ofPresident of RomaniaKlaus Iohannis, he promised Romania would donate 200,000 doses of thePfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Moldova.[86] On 16 January, Sandu said that Moldovan authorities would allow residents of Transnistria to be vaccinated with the RussianSputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.[87] The first 21,600 doses of theOxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine promised by Romania arrived inMoldova on 28 February, with the first administrations on 2 March.[88] Romania subsequently made more donations on 27 March 2021 with 50,400 vaccine units; on 17 April 2021 with 132,000 vaccine doses, fulfilling its promise to Moldova; and on 7 May 2021 with 100,800 vaccine units even though this surpassed the promised 200,000 vaccine doses. Moldova became the first country in Europe that received vaccines from theCOVAX platform. The first shipment delivered in early March arrived with more than 14,000 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine.[89]
Sandu received her vaccination on 7 May with the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine after Romania stated its intention to donate thousands of vaccines to Moldova. Sandu had previously stated she would only receive vaccination when it was certain Moldova would have enough vaccines to vaccinate its entire population.[90]
According to theWorld Health Organization, between 3 January 2020 and 28 June 2023, there have been 620,717 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 12,124 deaths. As of 11 June 2023, a total of 2,288,948 vaccine doses have been administered.[91] Moldova is among the first countries in the WHO European Region to conduct a COVID-19 intra-action review (IAR) upon the request of Moldova'sMinistry of Health, Labour and Social Protection.[92]
In mid-January 2021, Sandu announced that theSupreme Security Council would be reorganised. On 21 January 2021, human rights activistAna Revenco was appointed Secretary of the Supreme Security Council and concurrently adviser to Sandu in the field of defence and national security. Revenco's predecessor in these posts, Defense MinisterVictor Gaiciuc, remained a member of the Security Council. The renewed Security Council did not include the Minister of JusticeFadei Nagacevschi, theGovernor of GagauziaIrina Vlah, or the director of the National Centre for Combating CorruptionRuslan Flocha. Nagacevschi, commenting on this situation, said: "I am glad that I was inconvenient".[93][94] Former President Dodon declared the Supreme Security Council to be a threat to national security.[95] His political opponent, former Prime Minister and leader of theDemocratic PartyPavel Filip, was in solidarity with the ex-president, saying that "we are seeing double standards".[96]
Sandu meeting withNBM governor Octavian Armașu, 23 March 2021
On 21 December 2023, Dodon's PSRM party joined Sandu's PAS party to secure a two-thirds majority for dismissingOctavian Armașu as governor of theNational Bank of Moldova.[97] In its June 2024EU enlargement report, theEuropean Commission described the dismissal as "sudden and unexpected" and expressed concern that the procedure, fell short of international best practices, underscoring potential risks togood governance andcentral bank independence.[98] The decision was also scrutinised by theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), referring to it as abrupt and course for concern over the political independence of the national bank.[99]
Implementinganti-corruption measures was one of the central policies of Sandu's presidential election campaign and of her Party of Action and Solidarity.[100] Since 2020, Moldova's CPI (Corruption Perceptions Index) has improved from 32 points to 39, ranking 91/180 amongEastern European andCentral Asian countries.[101]Transparency International cautioned in 2022 that "despite some progress in improving technical compliance with recommendations from theGroup of States against Corruption and other bodies, much remains to be done to overcome the legacy ofstate capture still visible in many organs of state." They nevertheless praised efforts made under Sandu's presidency, and concluded that "the election ofPAS, which ran above all on an anti-corruption platform, can be interpretated as a positive sign for this change as there is a widespread consensus among the population that corruption needs to be curbed."
Reporters Without Borders improved Moldova'sPress Freedom Index ranking from 89th in 2020 to 28th in 2023, while cautioning that "Moldova's media are diverse but extremely polarised, like the country itself, which is marked by political instability and excessive influence by oligarchs."[102][103] In 2022 the European Union's anti-money laundering bodyMONEYVAL upgraded Moldova from 'partially compliant' to 'largely compliant' due to significant improvements in the country's legal measures to prevent money laundering andterrorist financing.[104]
On 8 June 2021, Sandu signed off on the creation of an extra-governmental corruption monitoring body after declaring the state's own institutions "too slow". The six-member panel of the 'Anticorruption Independent Consultative Committee' will be co-chaired byUnited States diplomatJames Wasserstrom, includes economists, jurists and journalists and is partially funded by the European Union and United States.[105]
On 2 May 2022, former Moldovan Prime MinisterIurie Leancă was charged withabuse of power over a concession that gave control of the country's main airport to a businessman now in exile. The 2013 concession handed control ofChişinău International Airport for a 49-year term to a company associated with politician and businessmanIlan Shor, who fled Moldova in 2019 after the election of pro-Western Sandu. An appeals court ruled in November 2021 that control of the airport should return to the state.Veronica Dragalin, head of Moldova's anti-corruption prosecution office, said a former economy minister and six other former officials also faced similar charges in a criminal case which she said had been referred to court.[109]
On 24 May 2022, former presidentIgor Dodon was arrested by the Moldovan authorities on charges ofcorruption for the receipt of bribes, illegal financing of his political party, andhigh treason against Moldova through links to fugitive Moldovan politicianVlad Plahotniuc. He was placed underhouse arrest on 26 May in order to allow prosecutors to investigate the allegations further.[110][111][112][113] He was released from house arrest on 18 November 2022 pending a court trial on all charges.[114]
On 21 March 2023, Sandu announced the creation of a new Anti-Corruption Court which will be set up to try major corruption cases, as well as cases of crime within Moldova's judicial system, as part of a broader move to tackle endemic corruption in the country.[115] As of 15 June, Sandu has continued to hold consultations and discussions with representatives on the text of the court's concept paper.[116] Sandu has also expressed her support for the establishment of an international anti-corruption court.[117]
Analysts argue that sinceRussia's invasion of Ukraine, Moldova has been "flooded" withRussian propaganda anddisinformation.[118] The United States has accused Russia of "deliberately stirring unrest" within Moldova, stating that intelligence showed "that actors, some connected with Russian intelligence, are seeking to stage and use protests in Moldova as a basis to foment an insurrection against Moldova's new pro-Western government."[119] White House National Security MinisterJohn Kirby stated that "As Moldova continues to integrate with Europe, we believe Russia is pursuing options to weaken the Moldovan government probably with the eventual goal of seeing a more Russian- friendly administration in the capital".[119]
In 2023, Sandu announced the creation of an anti-propaganda centre to counter this disinformation and to improve the country's hybrid threat response capabilities.[120]
On 19 June 2023, the pro-RussianȘor Party was banned by theConstitutional Court of Moldova after months of anti-government protests, which the Moldovan government said was an attempt to destabilise it.[121] The court declared the party unconstitutional, with court chairmanNicolae Roșca citing "an article in the constitution stating that parties must through their activities uphold political pluralism, the rule of law and the territorial integrity of Moldova."[122] The party was led byIlan Shor, a fugitive businessman who fled toIsrael in 2019 after being convicted of fraud and money-laundering and sentenced to 15 years in prisonin absentia.[123] Sandu welcomed the court's decision.[123]
Sandu withAzerbaijan's PresidentIlham Aliyev at theCOP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, 12 November 2024
Moldova is highly vulnerable toclimate change and related disasters, with an average annual economic loss of 2.13% GDP. Additionally, the country's uniquebiodiversity is currentlythreatened by climate change,habitat fragmentation andover-exploitation.[124] Moldova is the European nation most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. "In Moldova, 60 percent of the population doesn't have access to safe drinking water anddroughts are becoming more and more frequent. According to theUnited Nations, the country suffered eleven droughts between 1990 and 2015, which had a significant impact on harvests. In 2012, the resulting losses amounted to €1 billion."[125]
On 25 November 2022, Maia Sandu addressed the76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the challenge of climate change. She announced that with assistance fromUnited Nations Development Programme, they would be developing and setting out the commencement of a National Climate Change Adaptation Programme, with a focus on the specific risks and vulnerabilities induced by climate change, and the opportunities to respond to them. She highlighted that "For the Republic of Moldova, climate change means severe droughts every few years, floods, ruined crops and livelihoods of people."[126]
The UNDP,Green Climate Fund, and Embassy of Sweden in Chișinău are assisting in developing a transition plan towards low-emission, green and climate-resilient development. She is quoted as saying, "climate change does not ask whether we are ready for it, whether we have the resources to respond to it, or whether it has come at the right time. Adapting to these changes will be hard. Building resilience will be difficult. Especially for us, because we have fewer resources, we are less prepared, and we have weaker institutions. But we have no choice, we must adapt. To resist. For our future and that of our children, here in Moldova."[127]
According to the UNDP, "A special focus is placed on exploring the mitigation potential through promotion of renewable energy solutions, which currently is standing at 25,06% in the total energy mix, energy efficiency measures and resource efficiency production and consumption. At the same time, support to the reform and modernization ofenvironmental management systems conducive togreen development and EU standards are being provided."[127]
Sandu has expressed her view thatOperational Group of Russian Forces (OGRF) should withdraw from the breakaway region ofTransnistria, saying toRBK TV that, although they guard ammunition depots, "there are no bilateral agreements on the OGRF and on the weapons depots". She also stated that it's her position that the "mission should be transformed into anOSCE civilian observer mission".[128]
In September 2021, during an interview at a local television station, Sandu was asked to describe the events that took place in 1992 and led to theTransnistria War, to which she replied:
During the process through which we were trying to gain our independence, to become independent state, obviously foreign forces opposing our wish came to stop us, trying to create this danger. Things, obviously, have been planned from before, because if we look back in history that is how things have been arranged and organized so that we would always be dependent on the former USSR.[129]
She further explained that theTransnistria conflict was an artificial problem created in order to stop Moldova from gaining its independence and that other former Soviet countries experienced the same thing. Sandu also stated that Moldova is looking exclusively for a peaceful and diplomatic solution in the conflict.[129]
Asked about her position on opinions which suggest that Moldova should recognise the independence of Transnistria due to the conflict's role in delaying Moldova'sEU integration, Sandu replied that she totally disagrees with such opinions.[129]
Salomé Zourabichvili, Maia Sandu(second left),Volodymyr Zelensky and Charles Michel at the 2021 Batumi International ConferenceSandu meets with German ChancellorOlaf Scholz in Chișinău, 21 August 2024.
Sandu is a supporter of Moldova'sEuropean integration, the country's entry into theEuropean Union, and the resumption of cooperation with the IMF. When she received the president of Romania, she declared that "the Republic will integrate into the European space with the help of Romania".[130] Maia Sandu met EU and Belgian political figures in Brussels in January 2021.[131]
Sandu actively campaigned for the 'Yes' vote supporting European integration in the2024 Moldovan European Union membership constitutional referendum held on the same day as the first round of the 2024 presidential election on 20 October, which won by a narrow margin. Sandu attributed the result to an "unprecedented assault on our country's freedom and democracy" following allegations of interference by "criminal groups" and pro-Russian interests.[57]
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis became the first foreign leader to visit Sandu in Moldova, arriving on 29 December.[134] As part of theMoldovan–Romanian collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, Iohannis promised that Romania would aid Moldova with medicines, medical and sanitary protection equipment and 200,000 vaccine units.[135][136][137] When going to Paris, in a stopover in Bucharest, she met with the Prime Minister of Romania,Florin Cîțu.[138]
On 24 February 2022, Moldova announced it was closing its airspace because of theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[145] Shortly after President Sandu condemned the act of war by Russia against Ukraine, saying, "a blatant breach of international law and of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity."[146] She added that Moldova was ready to accept tens of thousands of people fleeing Ukraine after the Russian attack and vowed to keep the borders open to help, saying, "we will help people who need our help and support."[147] As of 6 March over 100,000 Ukrainian citizens had crossed the border into Moldova.[148]
In an interview onTV8, Sandu declared that she is "ready to go to Russia" to discuss issues "concerning trade, exports, settlement of theTransnistria conflict" and others. She also noted that she intends to visit Kyiv and Brussels before going to Moscow, highlighting her more pro-EU stance.[149] On 11 August 2021,[150] Sandu, alongside other officials, met withDmitry Kozak, the DeputyKremlin Chief of Staff, where they agreed to lift all economic barriers between the two nations and look into the removal of ammunition depots from Transnistria.[151][152]
In February 2023, Sandu stated that Moscow had sought tooverthrow her country's government, echoing accusations made by Ukraine's presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy. Sandu alleged details of Russia's plan of trying to orchestrate violent attacks in Moldova to overthrow the government and institute a government that would be more friendly to Russia and derail the plans to join the European Union.[153][34] The pro-RussianȘor Party was dissolved and banned by Moldova'sConstitutional Court in June 2023.[citation needed]
In September 2025, an investigation by theBBC revealed a secret Russian-backed network trying to disrupt the2025 Moldovan parliamentary elections. According to the BBC, sanctioned Russian groups recruited operatives onTelegram, then trained them to spread fake news. They posted pro Russian content, attacked the pro EU ruling party, and ran fake polls to question the results.[154] The operation, linked to fugitive oligarchIlan Shor and the banned NGO Evrazia, reached millions onTikTok andFacebook. Recruits usedChatGPT to create false content after filming opposition supporters. The investigation claims the funding comes from Moscow and is part of wider Kremlin efforts to destabillise Moldova.[154]
^Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of macro-financial assistance to third countries in 2023. 2024. p. 5.
^abcSandu, Maia (guest) (2 September 2021).In Profunzime 02.09.2022 (in Romanian).Chişinău, Moldova: Pro TV Chişinău. Event occurs at 11:05 – 11:35, 11:55 – 12:05, 5:15.Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved5 September 2021.
^Anderson, Scott; Badore, Zachary; Bradatan, Anastasia; Herkert, Alexander; Klehm, Bryce; Kurup, Rohini; Lopez, Jaime; Pompilio, Katherine; Robertson, Anna-Marie; Warschefsky, Thomas (24 February 2022)."The World Reacts to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine".Lawfare.Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved26 February 2022.
^"Указ Президента України №398/2021" [Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 398/2021].Official online representation of the President of Ukraine (in Ukrainian).Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved24 August 2021.
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