The number of supporters and opponents of Moldova's accession to the European Union in the referendum was almost equal. After processing 98.33% of the protocols, 50.03% supported European integration, while 49.97% opposed it, according to the website of the Central Election Commission of the republic. For the referendum to be valid, at least a third of registered voters had to participate, and the turnout was 51%. Until the end of the count, it was unclear what voters would say on the question of integration with the European Union, at some point during the count, opponents were more.
As noted by Reuters, although the results are far from a major success, they speak in favor of the current president Maia Sandu, who advocates for the EU and participated in the Sunday elections to retain her post. By the start of Monday, she had gained 41.91% of the votes with 97.7% of the votes counted. Sandu's main rival in the presidential elections, former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, gained 26.32% of the votes, creating the prerequisites for a second round of elections on November 3.
The referendum and presidential elections were seen as a test of the deeply divided nation's readiness to maintain close ties with Russia or begin a potentially lengthy process of joining the European Union.
President Maia Sandu urged citizens to support European integration, noting that launching this process is her main achievement as head of state. In the spring of 2022, Sandu signed an application for EU membership, and a few months later, Brussels granted the republic candidate status. This summer, official negotiations on European integration began.
In her address to the people of Moldova late Sunday evening, Maia Sandu stated that there is "clear evidence" that criminal groups, working together with hostile foreign forces, attempted to buy 300,000 votes. The run-up to the vote was marred by a series of allegations of election interference by fugitive tycoon Ilan Shor, residing in Russia.
"Their goal was to undermine the democratic process. Their intention was to sow fear and panic in society... We are waiting for the final results, and we will respond with firm decisions," she said.
Earlier, Moldovan police accused Shor, sentenced in absentia to prison for fraud and theft, of attempting to bribe a network of at least 130,000 voters to vote "against" and support "our candidate" in the elections. Shor openly offered on social media to pay Moldovans to persuade others to vote a certain way.
In the run-up to the vote, Moldovan authorities removed internet resources that, in their opinion, contained misinformation, announced the uncovering of a program in Russia to prepare Moldovans for mass riots, and initiated criminal cases against Shor's allies.
Photo: Dumitru Doru/EPA