Moldova’s pro-European President Maia Sandu has sought a second term in office after a tense runoff election seen as a decider between Europe and Russia.

Moldova’s Central Election Commission confirmed Sandu’s victory on Monday morning.

Sandu won 55% of the vote, according to preliminary results, and promised in a late-night speech on Sunday to become president for all Moldovans.

Her rival Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was supported by the pro-Russian Socialist Party, had called for a closer relationship with Moscow.

Later in the day, the president’s national security adviser said there had been “massive interference” by Russia in Moldova’s electoral process that had “high potential to distort the outcome.”

Russia had already denied interfering in the vote, which came a week after another key Eastern European election in Georgia, whose president said it was a “Russian special operation.”

Stoianoglo, who was fired as prosecutor general by Sandu, denied being pro-Kremlin.

In a joint statement congratulating Sandu on her re-election, the European Commission and the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said there had been “unprecedented interference by Russia.”

As polls closed, both Sandu, 52, and her rival thanked voters, with Stoianoglo speaking in both Russian and Romanian. Although Romanian is the primary language of Moldova, Russian is widely spoken due to its Soviet past.

Voter turnout was high at 54%, particularly among foreign voters at polling stations abroad.

Stoianoglo initially took the lead during the night and was the more successful candidate in Moldova with more than 51% of the vote. Sandu won in the capital Chisinau and was completely dominant among expat voters.

When she overtook her challenger late on Sunday evening, there were cheers and shouts of “victory” in her campaign headquarters.

In a hoarse voice, she praised her compatriots for saving Moldova and giving them “a lesson in democracy worthy of inclusion in the history books.”

She then switched to Russian and said: “I heard your voice – both those who supported me and those who voted for Mr Stoianoglo. In our decision for a dignified future, no one has lost…we must stand together as one.” .”

Maia Sandu’s foreign policy adviser, Olga Rosca, told the BBC she was proud of the result.

When asked if she was surprised that Stoianoglo won in Moldova itself, she said that the vote in Moldova and abroad should be viewed as one and the same: “We never divide the people into Moldovans at home and abroad – we consider Moldovans as a family.”

With elections next year, she said the president had “clearly expressed that she heard the sentiment for change.” Between the (two presidential) votes, she said several times that the fight against corruption was intensifying and the Justice reform must be accelerated – she is committed to this work.”

The final result will be announced on Monday.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu and said: “It takes a rare strength to overcome the challenges you faced in this election.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with you on a European future for Moldova and its people,” her message on X said.

When he cast his vote, Alexandr Stoianoglo promised to be an “apolitical president” and voted for “a Moldova that should develop in harmony with the West and the East.”

Stoianoglo performed well in the polls, particularly in rural areas and the south, while Sandu was ahead in the cities and among young voters.

After casting her vote, Sandu warned of “thieves” who wanted to buy her vote and her land.

The president’s national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru, said Russia had organized buses and large charter flights to transport voters to polling stations.

Bombings briefly disrupted voting in Moldova, at British polling stations in Liverpool and Northampton, and in Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern in Germany, he added.

A Soviet republic for 51 years, Moldova is flanked by Ukraine and Romania and is one of the poorest countries in Europe. It has a population of 2.5 million and an expat population of 1.2 million.

Moldovan authorities have long warned that a fugitive oligarch named Ilan Shor spent $39m (£30m) to buy Moscow’s election by giving handouts to 138,000 Moldovans.

Shor, who lives in Moscow, denied wrongdoing but promised cash payments to anyone willing to support his call for a “firm no” to the EU.

Commentators and politicians had warned that a Stoianoglo victory could radically change the political landscape in the Danube and Black Sea regions, not because he was some kind of “Trojan horse,” but because Russia had thrown its weight behind it.

There were queues at polling stations in Moscow, Italy and among voters from a predominantly Russian-speaking breakaway region of Transnistria who had to cross the Dniester River into Moldova-controlled territory to vote. Transnistria is home to a Russian military base and a huge weapons depot.

Moldova’s electoral commission said it was aware of reports of organized and illegal voter transport by air and land in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey and appealed to the public to report further violations.

Although Sandu won the first round easily, several candidates fell in line behind Stoianoglo, although the third-place candidate refused to support either one.

The first round coincided with an exciting referendum on support for a constitutional amendment that included a commitment to join the EU.

In the end, the vote was narrow and Maia Sandu said there was clear evidence of attempts to buy 300,000 votes.