Partial results from Moldova's crucial referendum on joining the European Union have shown that the outcome is too close to call. As of Monday, with just over 1.4% of the ballots yet to be counted, 50.2% of voters had cast their ballots in favor of joining the EU, according to the country's Central Election Commission.
This tight margin comes as a setback for President Maia Sandu, who had been advocating for a clear endorsement of Moldova's pro-EU trajectory during her first presidential term. The referendum was framed by Sandu as a pivotal choice for the country between pursuing its emerging European future or remaining aligned with the Kremlin.
In addition to the referendum, Moldova also held its presidential election on the same day. Sandu, who emerged as the frontrunner in the presidential race with 42.1% of the vote, fell short of securing an outright victory. Her closest challenger, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general running for the pro-Russian Party of Socialists, garnered 26.3% of the vote.
With neither candidate reaching the required threshold for victory, a second round of the presidential election is scheduled for November 3. The upcoming run-off between Sandu and Stoianoglo could potentially be highly contested, especially if other pro-Russian parties and voters throw their support behind Stoianoglo.
In a notable development, President Sandu condemned what she described as an 'unprecedented assault' on Moldova's democracy, accusing foreign groups of attempting to undermine the country's democratic process. Sandu alleged that there was clear evidence of criminal groups trying to buy votes on a massive scale, with reports linking a Kremlin-linked network led by exiled Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor to efforts to influence the outcome of the EU referendum.
Shor, in a video posted on his Telegram account, had offered monetary incentives to voters to register with his campaign and vote against the referendum. Sandu's forceful response to these allegations underscores the high stakes involved in Moldova's political landscape and the intense competition between pro-EU and pro-Russian factions.
