Moldovans approved by a narrow margin the objective of shielding the process of joining the European Union (EU) in the Constitution, in a fierce referendum that led the country’s president, the Europeanist Maia Sandu, to denounce foreign interference, in a veiled reference to Russia.
In parallel to the referendum, the Moldavia also celebrated presidential elections on Sunday. Sandu, a 52-year-old economist, received the most votes in the first round, but will need to compete in a difficult second round.
In the first official reaction, on Sunday night, President Sandu denounced an “unprecedented attack on democracy”.
This Monday, the president stated that her camp “fairly won in an unfair dispute”, both in the EU referendum and in the first round of the presidential elections.
We have won the first battle in a difficult struggle that will determine the future of our country. We fought fairly and won fairly in an unfair contest,” said Sandu in a video, in which he calls on people to vote in next month’s second round.
The Kremlin demanded “evidence” of the “serious accusations” and denounced “anomalies” in the counting of votes in the referendum organized in the former Soviet republic bordering the Ukraine.
The European Commission said Sunday’s presidential election and referendum in Moldova took place amid “unprecedented interference” by Russia.
“We take note that this vote took place under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its allies to destabilize the Moldovan political process,” said Commission spokesman Peter Stano.
During much of the counting, ‘No’ led the referendum dispute, but diaspora votes changed the final result. After counting 99% of the votes, ‘Yes’ has a slight advantage, with 50.28% of the votes, the electoral authority reported.
“Criminal groups, who act in common agreement with foreign forces hostile to our national interests, attacked our country with tens of millions of euros, lies and propaganda, to make our country fall into uncertainty and instability”, denounced Sandu.
Moldova, with 2.6 million inhabitants, lies between Romania and Ukraine, a country invaded by Moscow in February 2022. The nation has a pro-Russian separatist region in the southeast of its territory, called Transnistria, which is home to a garrison of soldiers Russians.
Difficult second round
Sandu, who turned his back on Moscow after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, presented his country’s candidacy to join the EU to Brussels, headquarters of the European Executive. She called the referendum to validate her strategy, but her strategy hit a wall.
Without putting into doubt the accession negotiations with the 27 Member States, the narrow victory “somewhat weakens the pro-European image of the population and the leadership of Maia Sandu”, commented French political scientist Florent Parmentier, a specialist in the region.
In 2020, the president of Moldova became the first woman to hold one of the country’s top positions. In just four years, the former World Bank economist with a reputation for incorruptibility has become an important European figure.
Before the referendum, Moldova gave Brussels reasons for hope, in a complicated geopolitical context, with Ukraine at war and Georgia accused of pro-Russian authoritarianism, the political scientist highlighted.
But after the tight result, Sandu’s victory in the second round of the presidential election, on November 3, is not a certainty.
Sandu led the first round, with almost 42% of the votes. In the second round, she will face Alexandr Stoianoglo, a 57-year-old candidate supported by pro-Russian socialists, who received 26% of the vote.
The candidate can receive the votes of many small candidates and “the terrible trap of ‘Everyone against Sandu’” could harm the current president, points out the analyst.
During the campaign, Stoianoglo called for the “restoration of justice” in the face of a government that, according to the opposition, was willing to cut rights. He also advocated a “balanced” foreign policy, from the EU to Russia.
