MOSCOW—Female leaders often face brutal treatment in post-Soviet states. It takes real courage to run for president against an autocrat, especially one supported by Vladimir Putin. All of this highlights the achievement of Maia Sandu, a Harvard grad and pro-Western democrat, who has beaten her competitor, Igor Dodon, the incumbent president of Moldova, in the first round of the country’s presidential election.
The Daily Beast: The woman taking on Putin’s mini-me in era-defining election
Presidential candidate Maia Sandu wearing a face mask casts her ballot at a polling station during the second round of Moldova's presidential election in Chisinau on Nov. 15, 2020, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
