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The former Soviet republic of Moldova has voted by a wafer-thin majority to enshrine a pro-European Union course into the constitution, with almost all of the votes counted in a referendum beset with accusations of voter manipulation.<\/p>\n
The referendum is being closely watched in Brussels, but hopes have been dashed of a strong majority in favour of the EU, which pledged \u20ac1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) in economic aid for Moldova this month.<\/p>\n
Moldova, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, is a candidate for EU membership but has traditionally been torn between the West and Russia.<\/p>\n
With almost all of the ballots counted, the electoral commission said on Monday that 50.45% of the participants voted in favour of amending the constitution to include closer EU ties as a strategic goal. About 49.55% were against, revealing the strength of the pro-Russian camp.<\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Moldova and Moldovan President Maia Sandu on the vote despite accusations of election interference by Russia.<\/p>\n
“In the face of Russia\u2019s hybrid tactics, Moldova shows that it is independent, it is strong and it wants a European future!” von der Leyen said on X.<\/p>\n
Sandu had complained of mass electoral fraud during the night, and left open whether she would recognize the result.<\/p>\n
The referendum had taken place “under unprecedented interference,” a spokesman for the European Commission said.<\/p>\n
Election meddling by Russia to “destabilize the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova” has been observed for a long time, the spokesman added.<\/p>\n
Allegations of vote buying in Moldova, the “bussing of voters” and massive propaganda campaigns by Russia and its proxies in the country are some of the recent examples, he said.<\/p>\n
Germany’s deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said in Berlin: “We see that Russia and also pro-Russian actors are attempting to destabilize Moldova on a large scale.”<\/p>\n
Moldova also held a presidential election on Sunday which was won by the incumbent, although Sandu – the founder of the pro-Western Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) – failed to achieve an absolute majority. She garnered 42.3% of the vote, compared to 26% for her main rival Alexandru Stoianoglo, a pro-Russian former attorney general.<\/p>\n
Sandu and Stoianoglo will contest a runoff election on November 3.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Sandu called on voters to give her their vote in the runoff.<\/p>\n
She also noted that Moldovans living abroad had made a vital influence on the EU policy referendum.<\/p>\n
Moldovan media reported that most regions of the country voted against a pro-EU course in Sunday’s referendum, but that hundreds of thousands of Moldovans living abroad had weighed the balance in favour of the motion. The country has a resident population of about 2.5 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n