Why Moldovans backed a pro-EU candidate in Romania election – DW – 05/22/2025
Most Moldovan voters with Romanian citizenship voted for the pro-European candidate, Nicusor Dan, in Sunday's presidential election in Romania. DW explores why.
For decades, Romania has channeled hundreds of millions of euros in financial aid into its neighbor, the Republic of Moldova.
In the town of Ialoveni, for example, which is just 10 km (6 miles) south of the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, Romanian money is helping to restore a church and a stadium.
A record 158,000 Moldovans who hold Romanian citizenship cast their votes in Romania's presidential election last Sunday. The polling station in Ialoveni was among the busiest nationwide, with the vast majority of voters here backing centrist, pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan, who went on to win the election.
Political analysts in Chisinau say a victory for Dan's far-right opponent, George Simion, could have harmed relations between Moldova and Romania and threatened Moldova's pro-EU path.
Moldovans are now hopeful that Romania's development projects in Moldova will continue under the new president.
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