Maia Sandu has served as President of the Republic of Moldova since December 2020 and was re-elected in 2024, becoming the first president re-elected by direct popular vote. Previously Minister of Education and Prime Minister, she founded the Party of Action and Solidarity. A committed advocate of European integration, she co-signed Moldova’s EU membership application in 2022. Before politics, she worked at the World Bank and studied in Chișinău and at Harvard University.