Pallade Veneta - Moldova vote pits pro-EU president against ex-prosecutor

The vote is seen as key to determining whether the ex-Soviet republic sandwiched between Ukraine and the EU will continue on a pro-European path, with fears of Russian interference looming large.

- Fervent pro-European -

For many Moldovans, Sandu, who became president after defeating a Moscow-backed incumbent in 2020, has become a symbol of change as she seeks to chart a new pro-European path for the tiny country.

"Joining the European Union is Moldova's Marshall Plan," the 52-year-old former World Bank economist has declared, referring to the economic recovery plan put in place after World War II to rebuild Europe.

But her plan for Moldova to join the EU received a setback when a referendum on the issue passed by only a razor-thin margin last month.

Moldova's authorities have blamed Russian interference, including an unprecedented scheme of alleged vote-buying in one of Europe's poorest countries, with a population of 2.6 million.

Born in the village of Risipeni near the Romanian border before Moldova gained independence in 1991, Sandu studied international relations in Chisinau and later at Harvard University in the United States.

Returning to Moldova after a stint at the World Bank in Washington, Sandu became education minister, kicking off what she has described as a "rollercoaster journey".

Founding her own party in 2016, the centre-right Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), she lost her fight for the presidency that year, but four years later succeeded to become the country's first woman president.

Her promises of honesty and competence resonated with many Moldovans following political crises and corruption scandals.

But her critics accuse Sandu -- fluent in Romanian, English and Russian -- of lobbying the West while having failed to manage the struggling economy and high inflation at home.

- Former prosecutor -

Supported by the pro-Russian Socialists, Stoianoglo is praised by his proponents for his calm and keeping his distance from the EU, while Sandu has slammed him as Russia's "Trojan horse".

Campaigning on the slogan "Justice for all", Stoianoglo has been indicted in several graft cases.

But he has vowed to save Moldova after "four more years of abuse and ruin" if he is elected in Sunday's second round runoff.

Stoianoglo, 57, has denied Sandu's claims he is "Russia's man", saying he wants Moldova to have a "balanced foreign policy", with both the West and Russia.

Polite if stiff, Stoianoglo usually shuns media questions, sticking to reading out written speeches.

Born in the southern autonomous region of Gagauzia, Stoianoglo is a member of the Turkish-origin Orthodox minority, who are traditionally pro-Russian.

He is more comfortable speaking Russian than Romanian, Moldova's official language, and often mixes the two. He also speaks Gagauz and Turkish.

After finishing law school in 1992, Stoianoglo worked as a prosecutor in Gagauzia before embarking on a stint as a lawmaker.

In 2019, he was appointed prosecutor general.

But he was suspended two years later after being detained on corruption allegations, which he denied.

He remains indicted in several cases. Sandu, who accuses him of "neither being able nor willing to fight corruption", fired him last year.

Stoianoglo said he is in favour of joining the EU, but boycotted the referendum, calling it a "parody".

When criticised that his daughters had benefited from the EU by studying there -- with the youngest working for the European Central Bank in Germany -- Stoianoglo insisted it was "the right of every young person in Moldova" to go where they wanted.

If Stoianoglo wins, a scenario similar to the one in Georgia could ensue, with Moldova not formally giving up on its European path, but taking decisions that would make Brussels freeze negotiations, according to Andrei Curararu, an expert at the Chisinau-based WatchDog think tank.

R.Zarlengo--PV