Maia Sandu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maia Sandu
Sandu in 2025
6th President of Moldova
Incumbent
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	(1972-05-24) 24 May 1972 (age 53) 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 (born 24 May 1972) is a Moldovan politician. She has been the President of Moldova since 2020. She also started and used to lead the Party of Action and Solidarity. Before becoming president, she was the Prime Minister of Moldova from June to November 2019. Her government ended after a special vote in parliament.

Maia Sandu was also the Minister of Education from 2012 to 2015. She was a member of the Moldovan Parliament from 2014 to 2015, and again in 2019. In 2020, she was elected president with a large number of votes. She is the first woman to be president of Moldova. Sandu strongly supports Moldova joining the European Union. She works to make Moldova less dependent on Russia and often shows support for Ukraine. She focuses on fighting corruption, improving the economy, and connecting Moldova more closely with Europe.

Early Life and Education

Maia Sandu was born on 24 May 1972. Her hometown is Risipeni, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time. Her parents were Grigorie, a veterinarian, and Emilia, a teacher.

She studied management at the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova from 1989 to 1994. Later, from 1995 to 1998, she studied international relations at the Academy of Public Administration in Chișinău. In 2010, she earned a degree from Harvard University in the United States. Before entering politics, Sandu worked as an adviser at the World Bank from 2010 to 2012.

Political Journey

Sandu with President of the European Council Donald Tusk at the EPP Summit in Brussels, 22 June 2017

From 2012 to 2015, Maia Sandu served as the Minister of Education for Moldova. In 2015, she was considered for the role of Prime Minister. She set some conditions for accepting the job, like changes in the leadership of the National Bank and the State Prosecutor's office. However, another person, Valeriu Streleț, was chosen instead.

In 2015, she started a political platform that later became the Party of Action and Solidarity. In 2016, she ran for president as a candidate who supported closer ties with Europe. She made it to the second round of the election. During this time, she faced some unfair comments because she was a single woman. She lost the election to Igor Dodon, who was seen as more pro-Russian.

Becoming Prime Minister

In the 2019 Moldovan parliamentary election, Maia Sandu's party, along with an ally, formed a group called ACUM. They won 26 out of 101 seats in the Moldovan Parliament. On 8 June 2019, Sandu became the Prime Minister of Moldova as part of a coalition government.

There was a brief disagreement with the Constitutional Court about her appointment. However, the court later changed its decision, confirming her government was properly formed. As Prime Minister, she worked to improve Moldova's relationship with the European Union. She also started to allow government officials to visit Russia again, a ban that was in place before.

Sandu with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Washington, D.C., 18 September 2019

In November 2019, her government was removed after a special vote in parliament. She stayed on as a temporary leader until a new government was formed. However, in December 2020, she became president after winning the election against Igor Dodon. She campaigned on promises to join the EU and fight corruption.

Presidential Campaign 2020

Maia Sandu announced she would run for president on 18 July 2020. She said that a single pro-European candidate was not needed because she believed a pro-European candidate would reach the second round of voting anyway. She officially started her campaign on 2 October 2020. She promised to fight corruption and poverty and to improve the justice system.

Since no candidate won more than half the votes in the first round, a second round was held on 15 November between Sandu and Igor Dodon. Sandu won with 57.75% of the votes. Many leaders from the European Union, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Romania congratulated her. She stated that Moldova would have a balanced foreign policy, focusing on Moldova's interests and having good talks with all countries.

Presidency (2020–Present)

Maia Sandu officially became president on 24 December 2020. During her swearing-in ceremony, she asked for national unity and spoke in several languages of Moldova. After the ceremony, she met with the outgoing president, Igor Dodon, for the official transfer of power.

She ran for president again in the 2024 Moldovan presidential election. She won 42% of the vote in the first round and defeated Alexandr Stoianoglo in the second round on 3 November.

Working with Parliament

As president, Sandu has worked to form new governments and hold early elections. She nominated Natalia Gavrilița as a candidate for Prime Minister in January 2021. Sandu wanted early elections to help solve political issues.

After some political discussions and changes, the Parliament was dissolved. A new early election was called for 11 July. The 2021 Moldovan parliamentary election was a big win for Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity. They won 63 seats, giving them a majority in parliament for the first time since 2009.

Supreme Security Council

In January 2021, Sandu announced changes to the Supreme Security Council, which helps advise the president on security matters. She appointed Ana Revenco as the new Secretary of the Council. Some former members were not included in the new council.

Climate Change Efforts

Moldova is very affected by climate change, facing problems like droughts and floods. These events cause significant economic losses and threaten the country's unique nature. Moldova is considered one of the most vulnerable European nations to climate change.

On 25 November 2022, Maia Sandu spoke at the United Nations General Assembly about climate change. She announced that Moldova would create a National Climate Change Adaptation Programme. This program will focus on how Moldova can deal with the risks of climate change. She emphasized that Moldova must adapt to these changes for its future and its children.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Embassy of Sweden are helping Moldova move towards a greener future. They are promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. They also support improving environmental management systems to meet EU standards.

Foreign Policy and European Ties

Salomé Zourabichvili, Maia Sandu (second left), Volodymyr Zelensky and Charles Michel at the 2021 Batumi International Conference.

Maia Sandu strongly supports Moldova joining the European Union and working with the International Monetary Fund. She believes that with help from Romania, Moldova will become part of the European area. In January 2021, she met with EU leaders in Brussels.

In April 2021, she signed an agreement with the Council of Europe. This plan aims to improve Moldova's laws and government institutions. It also seeks to strengthen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in the country.

In 2022, Sandu signed Moldova's application to join the European Union. This happened on the same day that Georgia also applied. On 21 May 2023, Sandu held a large public gathering in Chișinău. Thousands of Moldovan citizens showed their support for Moldova joining the European Union.

In May 2023, Sandu said in an interview that she hopes Moldova and the region of Transnistria will join the European Union by 2030. She believes that economic improvements and fighting corruption will help solve the conflict with Transnistria. She also confirmed she would run for a second presidential term.

Relationship with Romania

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis was the first foreign leader to visit Sandu in Moldova after she became president. He promised that Romania would help Moldova with medical supplies and vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked about a possible vote on whether Moldova and Romania should unite, Sandu said she would personally vote "yes."

Transnistria Region

Maia Sandu believes that Russian troops should leave the region of Transnistria. She has stated that there are no agreements for the Russian military presence there. She thinks their mission should change to a civilian observer mission led by the OSCE.

In September 2021, Sandu explained that the Transnistria conflict was an artificial problem. She said it was created to stop Moldova from becoming fully independent after the fall of the Soviet Union. She also stated that Moldova is looking for a peaceful and diplomatic way to solve the conflict. Sandu disagrees with the idea that Moldova should recognize Transnistria's independence, even if it might help Moldova join the EU faster.

Personal Life

Maia Sandu is not married and does not have children. She lives in an apartment in Chișinău. She speaks Romanian, English, Spanish, and Russian. She is a citizen of both Moldova and Romania.

Electoral Results

Parliamentary Elections

Presidential Elections

Awards and Honors

Honors

•  Moldova:
  • Order of Work Glory (23 July 2014)
•  Ukraine:
  • First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (23 August 2021)
•  Lithuania:
  • First Class of the Order of Vytautas the Great (6 July 2022)
•  France:
  • Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (7 March 2024)

Awards

• 2020 Award of the Group for Social Dialogue (Romania, 27 January 2021)

Images for kids

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  Sandu at the European People's Party Congress in Zagreb in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Maia Sandu para niños