Who is Maia Sandu, first female President of Moldova?

Former World Bank economist Maia Sandu has won the Moldova presidential election by defeating incumbent Igor Dodon.

Sandu, who will be the first female President of Moldova, secured 57.72% of the votes compared to Dodon’s 42.28%, the Central Election Commission data showed. Sandu thanked her supporters for the victory and promised to win over those who voted for her opponent.

According to BBC, began her career in government in 1994, working for Moldova’s Economy Ministry.

In 1998, she went to work for the World Bank’s Moldovan branch. In 2005, she returned to the country’s Economy Ministry, where she held a variety of positions ranging from consultant to office director.

After graduating from Harvard University’s School of Government in 2010, she became an adviser to the World Bank’s Executive Director in Washington, D.C

After two years in Washington, Sandu returned to Moldova in 2012 to take up the position of Education Minister. Sandu left the post of Education Minister in 2015 and the next year she became the leader of the pro-EU Action and Solidarity Party

In 2019, Maia Sandu served as prime minister of Moldova for six months. Sandu was dismissed in November 2019 after parliament passed a vote of no confidence in her government.