Moldovan citizens cast their ballots at a Bucharest poling station in neighbouring Romania, 20 October 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE / ROBERT GHEMENT
Moldovans have narrowly voted to support the country’s eventual membership of the European Union in a politically divisive referendum held on Sunday, the results of which went down to the wire, Reuters reported on Monday.
With nearly all the votes counted, some 50.17% of ballots were cast in favour of the proposal — backed by incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu — to amend the constitution to make the country’s membership of the EU a political objective, while 49.83% voted against the measure in an election process that was marred by allegations of widespread voter fraud and foreign interference.
The preliminary results of Sunday’s simultaneous presidential elections gave the incumbent pro-European Sandu a comfortable lead with 41.92% of the vote, meaning that she will now face her main rival, the country’s former Prosecutor General and the pro-Russian Party of Socialists candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo, who took 26.35% of the vote, in a second-round run-off election due to be held on 3 November.
Both Sandu and Stoianoglo did far better than opinion polls predicted they would in the run-up to the election. While recent opinion polls suggested that Sandu was the clear favourite to win the race, her proportion of the vote was predicted to be 36%, while Stoianoglo was forecast to win just 10% of the vote.
During the vote count, Sandu made allegations of widespread electoral fraud, adding that she and her team had evidence to back up the claims. “Moldova has faced an unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy, both today and in recent months,” Sandu wrote on X.
“Criminal groups, working with foreign forces hostile to our national interests, have attacked our country with tens of millions of euros, lies, and propaganda, using the most disgraceful means to keep our nation trapped in uncertainty and instability,” she continued.
Sandu, who has spearheaded the country’s recent push for European integration in light of the Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, made support for the constitutional amendment central to her campaign. However, despite the referendum question gaining a slim majority of votes, Sandu will inevitably be disappointed by the extremely close result, having hoped for resounding popular support for European integration.
The European Commission recommended in November that the EU Council start negotiations with Moldova on its accession to the EU. During a visit to Moldova’s capital Chisinau in October, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signalled the EU’s readiness to invest €1.8 billion in the Moldovan economy over the next three years ahead of its prospective accession date of 2030.
