Monitoring Desk

She walks briskly, sports a pair of white sneakers, and carries an aura of curiosity and vibrancy. Last month, she was named Emerging Europe’s Public Figure of the Year. Meet Maia Sandu, 49, the President of Republic of Moldova.

Sandu, who came to power in 2020, gained popularity among the masses for her image which was unlike any other president in the world. Her presidential campaign was focused on eradicating poverty, fighting corruption, and reviving the economy of one of Europe’s poorest countries.

Today she flew to Brussels to meet Macron and other big shots. She has no presidential plane, nor goes by private jet. Not even business class with a regular airline. In fact, she’s taking Wizz Air, a low-cost airline that offers a €3 sandwich for lunch.

President Sandu has been always economical with taxpayer’s money and has moved around without much publicity, says a post on LinkedIn.

Sandu who often meets presidents and other stalwart leaders, does not commute using a presidential plane or a private jet and not even a business class airline. According to the post, Sandu uses Wizz Air a low-cost air carrier that offers a sandwich costing around Rs.300 for lunch.

Sandu, who previously held the office of Prime Minister, was ousted as on 12 November 2019 through a vote of no-confidence by her opponents.

She is the first female president of Moldova.

Biography of President Maia Sandu

Maia Sandu was born on May 24, 1972, in Risipeni village, Falesti district.

She studied at the Risipeni village school.

In 1994, she graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Faculty of Management. From 1995 to 1998, she studied at the Academy of Public Administration in Chisinau, obtaining a Master’s degree in International Relations.

Between July 1994 and March 1998, she has held the position of Consultant, Deputy Head of department at the Ministry of Economy.

From March 1998 to August 2005, she worked as an economist at the World Bank Office in Chisinau.

From August 2005 to July 2006, she was the Director of the Directorate-General for Macroeconomic Policy and Development Programs at the Ministry of Economy and Trade.

Between 2006 and 2009, she worked as a consultant in various projects in the field of good governance and public administration reform.

In 2010, she obtained a Master’s degree in public policy, after completing her studies at the Kennedy School of Public Administration at Harvard University (USA).

From June 2010 until July 2012, she was the Adviser of the Executive Director of the World Bank in Washington (USA).

In July 2012, she became the Minister of Education in the Government of the Republic of Moldova, a position she held until July 2015.

In May 2016, she founded the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS). She was appointed PAS Party President until December 2020, resigning after winning the presidential election.

From February to June 2019, she acted as a Member of Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.

In June 2019, she was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, a position she held until November 2019.

On December 24, 2020, Maia Sandu was sworn in as the President of the Republic of Moldova, after her victory in the second round of the presidential elections (November 15, 2020)

She speaks Romanian (mother tongue), English, and Russian.

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Source: Moldova Presidency, Council of Women World Leaders, Economic Times, Wikipedia and LinkedIn

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