Moldova narrowly votes for EU membership amid fraud claims

CHISINAU - A referendum on Moldova joining the European Union passed with a razor-thin majority on Oct 21 as pro-Brussels President Maia Sandu blamed the close outcome on foreign meddling, in a veiled reference to Russia which denied the accusations.

The Kremlin called on Ms Sandu to “prove” election interference in the former Soviet republic bordering war-torn Ukraine and alleged “anomalies” in Moldova’s vote count.

Ms Sandu managed to top the first round of presidential elections held at the same time as the referendum on Oct 20, but will face a tough second round against Mr Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor backed by the pro-Russian Socialists.

Ms Sandu applied for her country to join the EU following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

With more than 99 per cent of the votes counted, the “yes” vote was slightly ahead at 50.28 per cent – just 8,000 votes more than the anti-EU camp.

A stern Ms Sandu said late on Oct 20 that Moldova had witnessed “an unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy”, blaming “criminal groups, working together with foreign forces hostile to our national interests”.

In the presidential election, Ms Sandu gained more than 42 per cent of the vote, while Mr Stoianoglo picked up a higher-than-expected 26 per cent.

A second round is scheduled for Nov 3.

Weakens pro-European image

The referendum result – even with the slim victory for the pro-EU camp – “weakens the pro-European image of the population and the leadership of Maia Sandu”, said political scientist Florent Parmentier of Paris’ Sciences Po.

Describing the result as a “surprise”, he said it would not impact the accession negotiations with Brussels, which began in June, though a clear “yes” would have been “a clear positive signal”.

He added the results “did not bode well for the second round” for Ms Sandu, noting that many of those who supported the nine other candidates on Oct 20 were more likely to vote for Mr Stoianoglo in the second round.

Ms Sandu, 52, a former World Bank economist and Moldova’s first female president, who beat a Moscow-backed incumbent in 2020, had been the clear favourite in the race, with surveys also predicting a “yes” victory in the referendum.

Her critics say she has not done enough to fight inflation in one of Europe’s poorest countries or to reform the judiciary.

In his campaign, Mr Stoianoglo – who was fired as prosecutor by Ms Sandu – called for the “restoration of justice” and vowed to wage a “balanced foreign policy”.

The 57-year-old abstained from voting in the referendum.

In the capital Chisinau, voter Ghenadie, who declined to give his last name, said he was worried by what he saw as the country’s “Western” drift and thought the government was “making the situation worse” economically.

Another voter, Ms Olga Cernega, a 60-year-old economist, said she had come to vote “for prosperity, peace and well-being in our country”.

‘Unprecedented’ vote-buying scheme

Fears of Russian interference have been looming large.

Washington issued a fresh warning recently about suspected Russian interference, while the EU passed new sanctions on several Moldovans.

Ahead of the vote, Moscow “categorically” rejected accusations of meddling.

Police made hundreds of arrests in recent weeks after discovering an “unprecedented” vote-buying scheme that they say could taint up to a quarter of the ballots cast in the country of 2.6 million.

Police said millions of dollars from Russia aiming to corrupt voters were funnelled into the country by people affiliated to Ilan Shor, a fugitive businessman and former politician.

Convicted in absentia in 2023 for fraud, Shor regularly brands Moldova a “police state” and the West’s “obedient puppet”.

“You have crushingly failed,” Shor posted on social networks after the vote.

In addition to the suspected vote buying, hundreds of young people were found to have been trained in Russia and the Balkans to create “mass disorder” in Moldova, such as using tactics to provoke law enforcement, according to police. AFP