Pro-EU side secures tight victory in Moldova

The campaign in favour of enshrining EU membership in Moldova’s constitution has won a narrow victory in a referendum, according to results released on Monday after 99% of the votes were counted.

Initially, the “No” camp appeared to be in the lead, holding 53% of the votes with 90% of the ballots tallied. However, as nearly all the votes have now been counted, the “Yes” camp has edged ahead, securing 50.28% of the vote.

The Kremlin has raised concerns about anomalies in the vote count. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov further demanded proof regarding serious allegations made by pro-European Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who claimed the involvement of “criminal groups, working in cooperation with foreign forces hostile to Moldova’s interests.” Sandu also alleged that 300,000 votes had been bought.

Moldova’s security services had already flagged issues of bribery and pro-Russian disinformation before the vote in the small nation of 2.5 million people, which sits between war-torn Ukraine and EU-member Romania.

The referendum allowed Moldovans to decide whether EU membership should be embedded as a constitutional goal. Moldova, along with Ukraine, was granted EU candidate status in June 2022, a direct consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.

The tight margin comes as a blow to Sandu, who had been hoping for a clear endorsement of the pro-EU path she pursued during her first presidential term.

In the presidential election, Sandu secured 42% of the vote in her bid for re-election. A runoff will take place on 3 November, where she will face off against her pro-Russian rival Alexandr Stoianoglo, who garnered 26%.

^{A person holds a Moldovan national flag and an EU flag during a rally in Chisinau © Elena COVALENCO / AFP}