Maia Sandu
Maia Sandu | |
|---|---|
Sandu in 2024 | |
| 6th President of Moldova | |
| Assumed office 24 December 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Ion Chicu Aureliu Ciocoi (acting) Natalia Gavrilița Dorin Recean |
| Preceded by | Igor Dodon |
| President of the Party of Action and Solidarity | |
| In office 15 May 2016 – 10 December 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Igor Grosu |
| 13th Prime Minister of Moldova | |
| In office 8 June 2019 – 14 November 2019 | |
| President | Igor Dodon |
| Deputy | Andrei Năstase Vasilii Șova |
| Preceded by | Pavel Filip |
| Succeeded by | Ion Chicu |
| Member of the Moldovan Parliament | |
| In office 9 March 2019 – 8 July 2019 | |
| Succeeded by | Galina Sajin |
| Parliamentary group | Party of Action and Solidarity |
| Constituency | West of Moldova |
| Majority | 49,955 (80.8%) |
| In office 9 December 2014 – 20 February 2015 | |
| Succeeded by | Petru Știrbate |
| Parliamentary group | Liberal Democratic Party |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 24 July 2012 – 30 July 2015 | |
| President | Nicolae Timofti |
| Prime Minister | Vladimir Filat Iurie Leancă Chiril Gaburici Natalia Gherman (acting) |
| Preceded by | Mihail Șleahtițchi |
| Succeeded by | Corina Fusu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 May 1972 Risipeni, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union (now Moldova) |
| Citizenship | Moldova Romania |
| Political party | Independent (2020–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal Democratic Party (2014–2015) Party of Action and Solidarity (2016–2020) |
| Alma mater | Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (BBM) Academy of Public Administration of Moldova (MIR) Harvard University (MPP) |
| Awards | Order of Work Glory First Class Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise Order of Vytautas the Great with the Golden Chain |
Maia Sandu (Romanian: [ˈmaja ˈsandu]; born 24 May 1972) is a Moldovan politician who is serving as the sixth president of Moldova since 2020. She is the founder and former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity and was prime minister of Moldova from 8 June 2019 until 14 November 2019, when her government collapsed after a vote of no-confidence. Sandu was minister of education from 2012 to 2015 and member of the parliament of Moldova from 2014 to 2015, and again in 2019.
Sandu was elected president of Moldova in a landslide victory during the 2020 Moldovan presidential election. The first female president of Moldova, Sandu is a strong supporter of the accession of Moldova to the European Union, overseeing Moldova's granting of candidate status, and is widely considered "pro-Western". She has criticised and opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supported subsequent steps to reduce Moldova's economic dependence on Russia, frequently expressing sympathy and support for Ukraine in the conflict. Sandu has made anti-corruption, economic reform and liberalisation a central part of her political platform, as well as closer integration with Europe. In February 2023, she accused Russia of seeking to stage a coup of the Moldovan government and has continued to seek to reduce Russia's influence over the country.
Sandu was re-elected president in the 2024 Moldovan presidential election.