Suche
Moldova: EU referendum in danger, president criticizes attacks on democracy
Moldova's EU referendum is in jeopardy. President Maia Sandu denounced an "aggressive" attempt to undermine the country's democracy. Read more about the pressing challenges.
Moldova: EU referendum in danger, president criticizes attacks on democracy
CNN reported that the crucial Referendum in Moldova on accession to the European Union showed preliminary results on Monday, resulting in an extremely close decision. President Maia Sandu condemned an “unparalleled attack” on the country’s democracy.
Current voting results
With just over 1.4% of votes counted, the country's central electoral commission reported, 50.2% voted "yes." This close decision would represent a setback for Sandu, who had wanted clear support for the pro-European path she took during her first term in office.
Political disunity and coming challenges
Sandu, who defined the vote as a choice for the former Soviet country between pursuing a new European future and remaining within the Kremlin's orbit, also failed to secure the number of votes needed for a clear victory in the concurrent presidential election. A second round will take place on November 3rd.
Accusations of foreign influences
In an unusually forceful statement released late Sunday evening, Sandu accused foreign groups of seeking to undermine Moldova's democratic process and "using the most shameful means to keep our nation in insecurity and instability." She explained that Moldovan authorities had “clear evidence” that these criminal groups intended to buy 300,000 votes – an unprecedented fraud.
Elections and election fraud
Last week, CNN reported on efforts by a Kremlin-linked network led by exiled Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor to buy votes in Moldova to influence the EU referendum results. In a video posted to his Telegram account last month, Shor said he would pay voters the equivalent of $28 if they registered with his campaign and even more if they voted against the referendum.
Presidential election: A close race
The preliminary results also show Sandu in first place with 42.1% of the vote in the presidential election, followed by her closest challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo - a former prosecutor general running for the pro-Russian Socialist Party, who received 26.3% of the vote. The two will now face each other in the second round. If the support of other pro-Russian parties and voters rally behind Stoianoglo, the runoff election on November 3rd could be extremely close.