[9] Analysts stated Sandu's runoff victory was seen as a major relief for the current government, which strongly backed her candidacy, her push for closer ties with the West, and her support for Moldova's path toward the European Union.

[10] On 17 April 2024, Parliament speaker Igor Grosu announced the holding of the presidential election in conjunction with the referendum on joining the European Union (EU) on 20 October.

[23] In October 2024, authorities announced the discovery of a plot by exiled pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor involving $15 million in funds from Russia that were distributed to around 130,000 people in order to bribe voters into selecting anti-Western decisions, and spread disinformation against the European Union on social media, following raids on 26 locations nationwide.

[26] Security checks were strengthened at Chișinău International Airport following an influx of passengers from Russia carrying large amounts of cash believed to be connected with the plot.

[31] On 17 October, Moldovan authorities announced the discovery of another plot in which 100 youths were trained in Moscow, Serbia and Bosnia by private military groups to foment civil unrest, including using nonlethal weapons to create "mass disorder" during the election and referendum, adding that four people had been arrested and that some of them received several thousand euros in payments.

[32] Olga Roșca, a foreign policy adviser to Sandu, said that "Russia is pouring millions in dirty money to hijack our democratic processes.

On 1 November, Prime Minister Dorin Recean reported cases of "anonymous death threats via phone calls" being made on citizens nationwide, which he described as an attempt to scare voters.

[34] On the day of the runoff vote, the CEC said that it had received reports of organised and illegal transportation of voters to Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

[35] Stanislav Secrieru, a national security adviser to Sandu, wrote on X: "We are seeing massive interference by Russia in our electoral process," which he said had a "high potential to distort the outcome" of the vote.

[37][38] After polling stations in Germany, located in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Kaiserslautern and Berlin were targeted by bomb threats, the German government, via foreign minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the "massive, coordinated attempt" to prevent Moldovans abroad voting, describing bomb threats against Moldovan polling stations in Germany as "totally unacceptable".

[39] Following the election, the Moldovan government served a note on 12 November to the Russian ambassador Oleg Ozerov formally complaining about Moscow's interference.

[46] Stoianoglo said that he was in favour of joining the EU and that "the level of Russian interference in Moldova is highly exaggerated", adding that he would seek a "reset of relations" with Russia.

[128] President Sandu attributed the result of the first round and the referendum to foreign interference and described it as an "unprecedented assault on democracy", adding that her government had evidence that 150,000 votes had been bought, with an objective of 300,000.

[133] Four hundred Moldovan citizens were investigated for allegedly receiving money to choose the "no" option in the referendum and vote for a determined candidate in the presidential election.

This money transfer system was believed to have started in late spring, and was carried out through applications that people downloaded with instructions from interactive chatbots on Telegram.

According to the report, "the election administration worked professionally and demonstrated impartiality in their decision-making", while "fundamental freedoms were generally respected and contestants could campaign freely".

[136] In a statement on 24 October, Sandu stated that, despite the instances of vote buying, she had rejected suggestions of annulling and repeating the elections as "no one has the right to deny citizens a massive, honest and free expression of their will".

She further stated that, without the buying of votes, "we would have had a clear victory for both the presidential elections and the referendum", and also urged the Moldovan judiciary to "wake up" and address the issue of electoral bribery.

[137] Former Moldovan Defence Minister Anatol Salaru said ahead of the run-off, that the result would decide whether Moldova would "continue the process of European integration or return to the Russia fold".

She went on to announce that the election had faced an unprecedented attack through alleged schemes including dirty money, vote-buying, and electoral interference "by hostile forces from outside the country" and criminal groups.

[10][138] Speaking before the final vote count, Stoianoglo told the media that "everyone's voice deserves respect" and that he hopes "from now on, we will put an end to the hatred and division imposed on us.

[129] Stoianoglo formally conceded on 6 November, while noting that he had led in the counting within Moldova and describing his loss as "not a final defeat, it is only a lost battle".

[139] Marcel Ciolacu, Prime Minister of Romania, congratulated Maia Sandu and said Moldovans chose to defend their democracy and continue their pro-European Union path.