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With more than 93% of the votes counted, the Moldovans seem to have rejected, this Sunday, in a referendum, membership in the European Union (EU). According to data from the Moldovan Electoral Commission, 53% are opposed to joining the community bloc, while 47% are in favor. However, the results were questioned by the president of Moldova, the pro-Western Maia Sandu.

At a press conference responding to the results, President Maia Sandu, a supporter of EU membership, charged that there was “electoral fraud” during the referendum. The Head of State stated that there were “criminal groups that collaborated with foreign forces” and that they spent “millions of euros” on “lies and propaganda”, keeping Moldova in a situation of “uncertainty and instability.”

“There was a Frabid on an unprecedented scale,” Maia Sandu stressed, adding that her team “is waiting for the final results” and “will respond with firm decisions.” The Head of State highlighted that “a criminal group I bought 300 thousand votes.”

The question in the Moldovan referendum was: “Do you support amending the Constitution so that the Republic of Moldova joins the European Union?” With ‘leadership’ and if these results are true, Moldova is moving away from the path of the West, which it had begun to follow in recent times. At the same time, it appears to be a rapprochement with Russia.

Belonging to the Soviet Union until 1991, The Moldovan government has faced difficulties in diplomatic relations with Russia.partly because of Transnistria, a pro-Russian region of the country that is very close to the Kremlin. In that region, the ‘no’ won with 63%. Even before the referendum and the President’s denunciations, there were already suspicions that Russia was carrying out a disinformation campaign with the aim of changing the results.

Maia Sandu wins the elections with 38%, but will face the pro-Russian candidate in the second round

In addition to the referendum, Moldovans went to the polls to vote in the first round of the presidential elections in Moldova. With around 93% of the votes counted, the Moldovan president, the pro-Western Maia Sandu, occupies first place and obtains 38.5%. He is followed by former attorney general and figure linked to Russia, Alexandr Stoianoglo, who earns 28.4%. In third place is Renato Usatoi, former Baltic mayor and pro-Russian, with 13.7%.

As it was necessary for a candidate to obtain more than 50% of the votes, a second round will be held, scheduled for November 3. The face to face will be between Maia Sandu and Alexandr Stoianoglo. However, the second round does not seem easy for the current president, taking into account the supposed results of the referendum and the possible support of the third candidate for the former attorney general.

These results could represent a setback for the outgoing head of state, Maia Sandu. The Moldovan government, which began EU accession negotiations in December 2023, did little good. received a big boost from Brussels on the eve of the votewith an aid package of 1.8 billion euros for the next three years.

Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, hoped to join the European Union in 2030, where it already exports 65% of its products and where it receives more than 80% of direct investment.

The current authorities, in favor of accession, seem to have been harmed by the fact that the popular consultation coincides with the presidential elections, after four years of falling living standards due to Covid-19, the conflict in neighboring Ukraine and the energy war with Russia.