The former Soviet republic of Moldova voted in favor of securing a path into the European Union on Sunday, in a national referendum that was charged with geopolitical significance and shadowed by accusations of Russian election interference.
The vote enshrines Moldova鈥檚 pursuit of EU membership in the country鈥檚 constitution, marking a fundamental move away from more than a century of Russian influence.
But the referendum passed by the slimmest of margins 鈥� with just 50.39% voting "Yes," the Central Electoral Commission 鈥� injecting ambiguity into a vote that EU supporters had hoped would showcase the country's widespread desire for a European future. The vote appeared to raise questions about the extent of popular support for policies, such as joining against Moscow over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, that have earned Moldova plaudits in the West but stoked tensions with the Kremlin.
鈥淚t was a huge political risk for them to go this route and to have the referendum, and it didn't pay off,鈥� said an observer on the ground who requested anonymity to speak candidly with NPR about the apparent strategic miscalculation.
鈥淚t absolutely feeds into the narrative that the people of Moldova are very conflicted and are not in overwhelming agreement that they should join the EU.鈥�
Moldova voted for president, too
Moldova also held a presidential election Sunday, which also failed to bring the resounding win leaders hoped for. President Maia Sandu but came out with 42.45%, falling short of what she needed for a first-round victory.
Sandu now faces a runoff on Nov. 3 against Socialist Party candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor who boycotted the EU referendum and suggested Moldova would be better off seeking smoother relations with Russia.
Sandu鈥檚 political fortunes may rest on how many other opposition candidates 鈥� there were 10 in the race initially 鈥� choose to consolidate around Stoianoglo in the coming days.
In the meantime, Sandu claimed victory but said there had been 鈥渁n unprecedented assault鈥� on Moldovan democracy that distorted the outcome.
鈥淭he people of Moldova have spoken: our EU future will now be anchored in the constitution. We fought fairly in an unfair fight鈥攁nd we won,鈥� on the social media platform X.
The people of Moldova have spoken: our EU future will now be anchored in the constitution. We fought fairly in an unfair fight鈥攁nd we won.
— Maia Sandu (@sandumaiamd)
But the fight isn鈥檛 over. We will keep pushing for peace, prosperity, and the freedom to build our own future.
Interference claims
The votes unfolded amid accusations in Moldova and that Russia tried to influence the vote with disinformation that claimed a vote for the EU was likely to draw Moldova directly into the Ukrainian conflict.
In advance of the vote, Moldovan police said they uncovered a mass vote-buying scheme. Ilan Shor, a fugitive Moldovan oligarch currently living in Moscow, had openly cash to vote against the EU bid, the authorities said.
Shor as an "absurd spectacle," according to Russia's Tass news agency.
Western election monitors suggested it was too early to judge the degree to which what they described as a 鈥渉urricane鈥� of disinformation as well as vote buying contributed to the referendum鈥檚 razor-thin margin.
鈥淎n individual user opens up their social media and they're seeing ... three or four or five comments that are completely unrelated to the posts,鈥� says Stephanie Rust, of the National Democratic Institute, a U.S.-government funded organization that supports democracy. Instead, Rust says, the comments were all casting doubt on the EU or denigrating President Sandu.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has vehemently denied interfering in the elections, and suggested European were more direct attempts to sway the vote.
Reacting to the results published Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested a late surge in pro-EU ballots had also 鈥渞aised questions鈥� about the referendum鈥檚 integrity.
Outside the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow Sunday, long lines snaked around the block as thousands of citizens abroad turned out to cast ballots at the city鈥檚 two lone polling stations.
Most campaigned openly against the EU vote.
鈥淲e have no future in Europe,鈥� said Lyubov Kuzmina, an entrepreneur who said she sent remittances home to relatives in Moldova. 鈥淛ust look at the price of gas. Today Moldova buys it from Europe at three times the price鈥� compared to Russia, she said.
鈥淓veryone perfectly well understands that the European Union has no intention of accepting Moldova,鈥� added Tatiana Tsurka, a recent university graduate. She said she moved to Russia for economic reasons but hoped to one day return home to Moldova, which is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Still, others suggested that the referendum 鈥� and Kremlin pressure to oppose it 鈥� amounted to Moldova being force-fed a choice many would rather avoid.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want our vote for closer relations with Russia would mean the West is no longer of interest to us,鈥� says Anatoly Popenko, a Moldovan who runs a construction business in Moscow. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just dumb."
Charles Maynes reported from Moscow. NPR鈥檚 Frank Langfitt, who reported from , contributed to this story from Washington, D.C.
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