After the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, many countries are actively helping us with weapons and hosting refugees. Neighboring Moldova was no exception, which knows for itself what a military conflict is, because for 30 years it has been living side by side with the separatists of the self-proclaimed “Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.”
The country’s president is 49-year-old Maia Sandu . In recent days, the name of this woman pops up in the media quite often, so we decided to tell a little more about her.
Maia Sandu/Associated Press
Maya was born on May 24, 1972 in the village of Risipeni Falesti in an ordinary family. Her father was a veterinarian, and her mother was a teacher. Maya received an excellent education, first at the Faculty of Management of the Academy of Economic Education of Moldova, then she studied international relations at the Master’s program at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Moldova. In 2010 she graduated from the Harvard Institute of Public Administration. John F. Kennedy in Cambridge. Sandu’s personal life is shrouded in mystery, because she was not involved in any scandals, she was also never married and has no children.
Maia Sandu/Associated Press
Maya, in addition to her native Romanian, also speaks Russian, Spanish and English. She began a serious political career in 2012, initially holding the post of Minister of Education of Moldova, and then in 2014, during a rally organized by the Liberal Democratic Party, she joined her. In 2015, she created her own party, which she initially called “Take a step / with Maia Sandu”, later renaming it the Action and Solidarity party.
She first showed her ambitions to become the president of the country in 2016. During the elections, she reached the final from her party, but lost to the pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon, gaining 47.89% of the vote in the second round.
In 2020, she tried again. Maya won the elections with 57.7% of the vote, making her the first female president in the history of independent Moldova. The president’s policy is absolutely pro-European, and her goal is to join the European Union, which she herself repeatedly spoke about in various interviews, noting that she wants to become president for European integration.
Maia Sandu/Associated Press
In addition to the personal life of the president, her style also becomes a frequent topic of discussion. However, the clothes of a politician are always modest and laconic – she wears the same hairstyle, business trouser suits or skirts with jackets. Unlike the first ladies of some countries, she was not seen in defiant images, as well as with bright makeup. However, she loves bright colors and boldly wears them.
Maia Sandu/Associated Press
As for the situation in Ukraine, from the first days of a full-scale war, Maia Sandu said that her country was ready to support Ukraine: “All checkpoints on the border of Moldova and Ukraine are open and working in an enhanced mode. We will support people from Ukraine.” However, after the president signed the official application for Moldova’s accession to the EU, the fear that the Ukrainian scenario could be repeated in the country is quite high in society, especially in recent days due to Russia’s attempts to destabilize the Transnistrian region. But the Moldovan authorities stated that they would not block the puppet republic, but were in favor of a peaceful settlement of the situation. At the same time, Sandu does not plan to hold any negotiations with Putin.
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