An extremely close result. After a long race in the lead of the “no”, the “yes” to membership in the European Union took the upper hand on Monday morning in Moldova, according to the almost final count. An extremely close result in the form of a snub for the outgoing pro-European head of state Maia Sandu.
At the same time, the 52-year-old candidate came first in the first round of the presidential election but is preparing for a difficult second round. On November 3, she will face Alexandr Stoianoglo, 57, supported by the pro-Russian socialists, who did better than expected with nearly 29% of the vote.
In a vote clouded by accusations of Russian interference “categorically” rejected by the Kremlin, voters approved by 50.16% the inclusion of the European objective in the Constitution, after counting more than 98% of the ballots. Defying the predictions, the “no” maintained a clear lead for several hours but the vote of the diaspora made it possible to reverse the trend at the last minute.
In her first official reaction in the middle of the night, the head of state denounced “an unprecedented attack on democracy” and promised “not to give in”. “Criminal groups, acting in concert with foreign forces hostile to our national interests, attacked our country with tens of millions of euros, lies and propaganda” to “trap our country in uncertainty and instability,” Maia Sandu told the press, her face serious.
A victory far from guaranteed
Moldova already has a foot in the EU with the official opening of accession negotiations in June. Quite a symbol for this state located between NATO and the Russian sphere of influence, and for a long time torn between the two camps. Outgoing head of state Maia Sandu, who turned her back on Moscow after the invasion of neighboring Ukraine and brought her country’s candidacy to Brussels, had called this referendum to validate her strategy.
The first woman to occupy the highest positions in 2020, this former World Bank economist with a reputation for incorruptibility has become a leading European personality in four years. But his victory in the presidential election is far from assured.
With nearly 42% of the votes, she is well ahead of Alexandr Stoianoglo (26%), a 57-year-old former prosecutor supported by the pro-Russian socialists. But he can count on the vote reserves of numerous small candidates, most of whom are considered to be more or less linked to Moscow behind speeches of “neutrality”. Some speak Russian, in addition to the official language of Romanian.
During the campaign, this stern-looking man called for “restoring justice” in the face of a power ready, according to the opposition, to violate rights and pleaded for a “balanced” foreign policy, from the EU to Russia.
Strong mobilization
From the opening of the polling stations, where the national anthem sounded, to the closing, Moldovans responded, including those from the separatist region of Transnistria, which hosts a garrison of Russian soldiers. The participation rate rose to 51.6% for the presidential election, more than four years ago, and to almost 50% for the referendum, above the threshold necessary to validate the vote, according to the Election Commission which did not report any major incidents.
Between corruption and disinformation operations, the police have carried out 350 searches in recent months and carried out hundreds of arrests of suspects accused of wanting to disrupt the electoral process on behalf of Moscow. An “unprecedented” system of vote buying was notably revealed, targeting up to a quarter of the voters expected at the polls in the country of 2.6 million inhabitants.
According to the WatchDog think tank, Russia spent around a hundred million dollars to influence the vote.nWith the maneuver, the oligarch Ilan Shor, who took refuge in Moscow after a conviction for fraud. On social networks, he joked about the “rout” of Maia Sandu and her “lamentable failure”.
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