CHISINAU -- Moldova's pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, was sworn in for a second term in what analysts call a critical milestone for the integration of one of Europe's poorest countries into the European Union.
Sandu defeated her Russian-friendly opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in the second-round of a hard fought election last month.
The Harvard University educated, former World Bank official's victory -- coming just one week after another former Soviet republic, Georgia, suffered a setback on its EU path when elections were won by Moscow-friendly incumbents -- came as a relief for Moldova's Western partners, who hailed it as proof that democracy can win over Russian meddling.
Sandu said in her inauguration speech that she hopes her second and final four-year mandate will tie her legacy to "Moldova being in the European Union."
During Sandu's first term, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks earlier this year after firmly aligning itself with its neighbor, Ukraine, after Russia's unprovoked invasion in 2022, and joining the EU sanctions regime against Russia.
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Moldovan President Starts Second Term, Says EU Integration Is "Path To Security And Prosperity"
"European integration is our path to security and prosperity, but let's not think of it as a business-class ticket to paradise," Sandu said in her inauguration speech. "It's not a miracle cure to all our problems. The French won't come here to run our judiciary. The Danes won't come in to clean up our garbage. The Germans won't come in to manage our border crossings. Only we are responsible for our lives, for our country."
Last week the European Union applauded Moldova for the successful conduct of the presidential elections and of the referendum on enshrining EU accession in the constitution," while blasting the "hybrid attempts to undermine the country's democratic institutions."
Moldovan officials had warned for months of threats from Russia that included disinformation and facilitating millions in illicit payments for an informal network of anti-EU organizers.
At the same time, they also fended off cyberattacks and deepfakes, and publicly confronted what they regarded as false narratives aimed at influencing the outcome of the vote.
Sandu, 52, became Moldova's first female president with a landslide victory in 2020, running on a strong pro-EU message and vowing to fight corruption.
Stoianoglo, 57, from Gagauzia -- a Turkic-speaking autonomous region of Moldova with pro-Russian sentiment -- campaigned on a law-and-order theme, although critics slammed him for what they say was a failure to address high-level corruption during his time as Moldova's prosecutor-general.