CHISINAU: Moldova's pro-Brussels President Maia Sandu on Monday said her camp "won justly in an unjust struggle" in an EU referendum and first-round presidential elections marked by claims of Russian interference. The referendum on joining the EU passed with a razor-thin majority in the key electoral test for the former Soviet republic bordering war-torn Ukraine.
Sandu said late on Sunday that Moldova had witnessed "an unprecedented assault" on its democracy," blaming "criminal groups, working together with foreign forces hostile to our national interests". The Kremlin, in turn, called on Sandu to "prove" election interference in the country of 2.6 million people and alleged "anomalies" in Moldova's vote count. Sandu, 52, a former World Bank economist and Moldova's first woman president, managed to top the first round of presidential elections held at the same time as the referendum on Sunday. But she will face a tough second round on November 3 against Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor backed by the pro-Russian Socialists.
"We have won the first battle in a difficult fight that will determine the future of our country," Sandu told reporters, calling on Moldovans to vote in the second round. "We heard you: we know we must do more to fight corruption," she added. Sandu, who beat a Moscow-backed incumbent in 2020, applied for her country of 2.6 million people to join the European Union following Russia's attack of Ukraine in 2022. With more than 99 per cent of the votes counted, the "yes" vote was slightly ahead at 50.46 per cent.
The European Union on Monday said voting was marred by Russia's "unprecedented interference and intimidation". Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk hailed Moldova as a "brave nation", while European Parliament president Roberta Metsola congratulated the country for its "bravery". In the presidential election, Sandu gained more than 42 per cent of the vote, while Stoianoglo picked up a higher-than-expected 26 per cent. "We have a huge chance to win on November 3 and we will win," he told journalists at his party's headquarters, calling the vote result a "resounding and shameful failure" for the government.
Sunday's twin votes revealed "profound divisions", according to Crisis Group's senior EU analyst Marta Mucznik, who added that the impact of pro-Russian disinformation campaigns was "evident". "Both Brussels and Chisinau must brace for rising tensions and reconsider their strategies if they are to effectively promote the prospect of EU membership," she said. — AFP
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