Moldovans appeared to have rejected plans for the former Soviet republic to add its goal of joining the European Union to the constitution, the results from 70% of ballots in the country’s referendum showed on Sunday evening.
Pro-Russian parties had urged people to vote “no” or boycott the vote altogether.
Sandu alleges fraud after referendum loss Responding to the results, Moldova’s pro-EU president, Maia Sandu, accused “criminal groups” of engaging in voting fraud.
Sandu takes narrow lead in the presidential election Meanwhile, Sandu was closer to a second term in office, after partial results in the country’s presidential election gave her a small lead over her main rival.
Turnout for the presidential election stood at more than 51%.
According to the results of a referendum held on Sunday night, 70 percent of Moldovans seemed to have rejected plans for the former Soviet republic to include its aspiration to join the European Union in its constitution.
Nearly 45 percent of voters in the partial count said “yes” to the proposal, while 55 percent said “no,” according to the election commission. “.”.
Moldova, a country of about 2.5 million people who live mostly in agriculture, has attempted to distance itself from Moscow and become more like the EU since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
In June, the former Soviet republic started negotiations to join the EU.
Prior to the referendum, polls indicated that about 55% of Moldovans would be in favor of the change, while 34% would be against it.
The turnout was nearly 50%, which is significantly higher than the 33% required for the outcome to be considered legitimate.
Voters were encouraged by pro-Russian parties to cast “no” ballots or abstain from voting altogether.
Sandu claims that after losing the referendum, there was fraud.
The pro-EU president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, responded to the results by accusing “criminal groups” of voting fraud.
Sandu informed supporters in Chisinau, the country’s capital, that Moldova had “faced an unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy, both today and in recent months.”.
She asserted that foreign-backed “criminal groups” attempted to “undermine [the] democratic process” by attempting to purchase up to 300,000 votes.
“We will respond with firm decisions after we receive the final results,” she stated in a separate written statement.
In the presidential election, Sandu leads by a slim margin.
Sandu, meanwhile, was getting closer to a second term in office after she narrowly defeated her main opponent in the nation’s presidential election.
Based on the results, Sandu is expected to face her closest rival, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in the second round after receiving an estimated 35% of the vote. He has a higher-than-expected 29 percent so far.
In the presidential election, over 51% of voters cast ballots.
Who else is running for the presidency?
Sandu, a pro-Western candidate, faced off against ten other contenders for the presidency, some of whom supported closer relations with Russia.
The 52-year-old was the overwhelming favorite to win, but according to recent polls, her support is only about 36%.
The pro-Russian Socialists backed Stoianoglo, a 57-year-old former prosecutor, who received only 9% of the vote.
Prior to the election, surveys predicted that Renato Usatii, a 45-year-old former mayor of Balti, the second-largest city in Moldova, would receive 63.4 percent of the vote.
The vote will move to a second round on November 3 if no candidate receives a majority.
Allegations of Russian meddling tainted the votes.
Moldovan authorities reported they had discovered a massive vote-buying scheme allegedly involving millions of dollars from Russia ahead of Sunday’s election.
Ilan Shor, a Russian fugitive businessman and former politician, has been charged by police with attempting to bribe people to vote “no” in the EU referendum and support a particular presidential candidate.
Western sanctions are in place for Shor, who was found guilty of fraud in absentia last year but denies any wrongdoing.
This week, authorities issued a warning that Russian currency could contaminate up to 25% of ballots.
Additionally, officials claimed to have discovered a scheme that involved sending hundreds of individuals to Russia for training on how to incite riots and cause “mass disorder” in Moldova.
Sandu has repeatedly warned of Russian attempts to influence the vote, which Moscow has denied.
(Reuters, AFP, dpa) mm, nm/rc.
