CHISINAU, Nov 4, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Moldova's pro-EU incumbent Maia Sandu on Sunday won a tense presidential runoff, beating her rival backed by a pro-Russian party in what she described as a "lesson in democracy".

The election in the ex-Soviet republic that lies sandwiched between war-torn Ukraine and the European Union has been overshadowed by allegations of meddling by Moscow.

The key vote took place just two weeks after a referendum backed joining the EU by a razor-thin margin.

Sandu stood at 54.94 percent of the vote against 45.06 percent for Alexandr Stoianoglo, who is supported by the pro-Russian Socialists and whom Sandu fired as prosecutor general last year, according to near-complete results published by the election commission.

"Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books.... Freedom, truth, and justice have prevailed," Sandu declared.

- 'Honest vote' -

Earlier, the 52-year-old former World Bank economist thanked jubilant supporters for "their honest vote".

Her rival Stoianoglo, 57, urged people "to remain calm, regardless of the figures".

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu on her re-election victory and the country's "European future", saying it took "a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you've faced in this election".

French President Emmanuel Macron said democracy had "triumphed over all interference and all manuevers".

Like in Georgia, another ex-Soviet country where the ruling party won a contested parliamentary election last weekend, Russia has been accused of seeking to sway voters. Moscow has denied the allegations.

Moldovan authorities reported "attacks, provocations and attempts at destabilisation" on Sunday.

Police said they were investigating Russia's alleged use of "organised transportation" to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey so people living in Russia could vote at Moldovan missions in those countries.

Cyberattacks and fake bomb threats also targeted out-of-country voting operations, authorities said.

Turnout was higher than in the first round on October 20, when Sandu came out ahead with 42.5 percent and runner-up Stoianoglo got 26 percent.

"It is very important (to vote) because a change toward the better matters... (We want) Moldova to be a European country," Natalia Grajdeanu, 45, a wedding planner living in Ireland, told AFP as she voted in Chisinau.

But others expressed reluctance. Grigore Gritcan, a retired railway worker from the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria, said the ruling party is "deceiving" voters.

"Let there be peace, what we have now is not peace. People have nothing to eat, no work," he told AFP.

Sandu applied for Moldova to join the EU after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Accession negotiations formally opened in June.

In the October 20 referendum, 50.35 percent backed EU membership, with Sandu blaming "foreign interference" for the narrow result in the country of 2.6 million people.

Police said they uncovered a Russian vote-buying scheme that could have affected up to a quarter of the ballots.

Casting his vote on Sunday, Stoianoglo said he had "no relations with the Kremlin". While he also favours joining the EU, he boycotted the referendum.

- 'Dependance on the outside' -

Moldova is deeply polarised.

A large diaspora and the capital mostly favour joining the EU, while rural areas and the pro-Russian separatist regions of Transnistria and Gagauzia are against.

Sandu lost in the territory of Moldova itself, election results showed, with her owing her victory to the diaspora.

"This is what tipped the election," said Florent Parmentier, a political scientist at Paris-based Sciences Po, noting Sandu's "dependence on the outside".

To maintain its pro-EU course, Moldova needs "a lot of help" given "the hybrid war waged by Russia", according to Andrei Curararu, an analyst at the Chisinau-based WatchDog think tank.

"It will not succeed on its own," he said, earlier citing "unprecedented pressure" with more than $100 million estimated to have been spent on "destabilisation activities".