A partial count of ballots showed a 55% ‘no’ vote in a referendum on whether Moldova should add its EU membership plans to the constitution. Early presidential election results gave incumbent Maia Sandu a narrow lead.
There are 11 candidates, including incumbent Maia Sandu, in Moldova’s presidential raceImage: Alexandr Burakov/DW
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.
The election commission said that 55% of voters from the partial count had said “no” to the proposal, while almost 45% had said “yes.”
A largely agricultural country of around 2.5 million people, Moldova has sought to cut ties with Moscow and move closer to the EU since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The former Soviet republic began EU membership talks in June.
Ahead of the referendum, surveys showed around 55% of Moldovans would support the move, while 34% were against it.
The turnout was close to 50%, far higher than the 33% needed for the result to be valid.
Pro-Russian parties had urged people to vote “no” or boycott the vote altogether.
Incumbent President Maia Sandu says joining the EU will help improve quality of life in one of Europe’s poorest nationsImage: Michele Tantussi/AFP/Getty Images
Responding to the results, Moldova’s pro-EU president, Maia Sandu, accused “criminal groups” of engaging in voting fraud.
“Moldova has faced an unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy, both today and in recent months,” Sandu told supporters in the capital, Chisinau.
She claimed that “criminal groups” backed by foreign forces had tried to “undermine [the] democratic process” by trying to to buy up to 300,000 votes.
“We are waiting for the final results, and we will respond with firm decisions,” she said in a separate written statement.
