The president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, denounced on Sunday night an “unprecedented attack on the freedom and democracy of our country” by “foreign forces”, while the referendum on EU accession remained very close with the majority of votes counted.
Moldovans went to the polls early in the day to vote in a presidential election and a referendum on EU membership that marked a key moment in the tug-of-war between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the West over the future of this little country. country in southeastern Europe, landlocked and with a population of about 2.5 million inhabitants.
Supporters and opponents of Moldova’s entry into the European Union remained technically tied after the scrutiny of 98.38% of the votes cast in the referendum. According to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Moldova, the proposal to include the country’s entry into the European Union (EU) in the Constitution as a national objective obtained 50.07% of the votes, while the No he got 49.93%. But the results could still vary somewhat, as votes are still being counted among the large Moldovan diaspora, in favor of EU membership.
For its part, the results of the presidential elections showed that current President Sandu won the first round with about 38% of the votes, but will now face her closest competitor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor, in the second round. backed by pro-Russian socialists.
The double vote in one of Europe’s poorest countries was seen as a crucial test for Sandu’s pro-EU agenda, which had urged Moldovans to vote “yes” in the referendum to affirm EU membership as a constitutional goal. “irreversible”.
The results will disappoint Sandu’s supporters and their allies in Brussels. Pre-election polls indicated that Sandu maintained a comfortable lead over his main rival, Stoianoglo, and other candidates, while polls suggested that around 60% of voters supported the pro-EU path in the run-up to the referendum.
Sandu, a 52-year-old former World Bank adviser, was first elected president in November 2020, amid a wave of popularity as an anti-corruption reformer with a pro-European agenda.
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Moldova has gravitated between pro-Western and pro-Russian cycles, but under Sandu it had accelerated its push away from Moscow, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The two elections were held amid claims by Moldovan authorities that Moscow and its proxies had orchestrated an intense “hybrid war” campaign to destabilize the country and derail its path to the EU.
“Moldova has faced an unprecedented attack on our country’s freedom and democracy, both today and in recent months,” Sandu told supporters in the capital, Chișinău, on Sunday as votes were counted, adding that “criminal groups” had tried to “undermine a democratic process. “We are awaiting the final results and will respond with firm decisions.”
The accusations against Vladimir Putin’s Russia pointed to the financing of pro-Kremlin opposition groups, the spread of disinformation, meddling in local elections and supporting a major vote-buying scheme.
Specifically, the authorities accused pro-Russian businessman Ilan Shor, a staunch opponent of EU membership, of directing a destabilizing campaign from Moscow.
Earlier this month, national police chief Viorel Cernăuțanu accused Shor and Moscow of setting up a complex “mafia-like” voter buying system and bribing 130,000 Moldovans – almost 10% of the voter turnout. normal – to vote against the referendum and in favor of pro-Russia candidates, in what he called an “unprecedented direct attack.”
On Thursday, police said they had also uncovered a program in which hundreds of people were flown to Russia for training in how to organize riots and social unrest.
Thus, Moldovan authorities stated that Russia had spent about $100 million this year on Moldova’s electoral processes.
Moldova applied for EU membership following Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which was condemned by Sandu, while tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees fled to Chișinău.
Moldova officially began EU accession negotiations in June, although skepticism remains in Brussels about the country’s ability to carry out the necessary democratic and judicial reforms in the near future.
Observers believe Sandu could now face a difficult second round against a united anti-EU – and more pro-Moscow – opposition front led by Stoianoglo.
Stoianoglo, a former attorney general dismissed by Sandu, urged the population to boycott the referendum or vote “no”, describing it as a “cynical” maneuver to increase Sandu’s popularity.
In an interview with The Guardian, Stoianoglo denied working on behalf of Russia. But he refused to criticize the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine and advocated improving relations with Moscow.
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