With a more relaxed expression on her face than during the election night, the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, appeared before the press this Monday to celebrate, without fuss, the tight yes obtained in the referendum held a day earlier, which will allow her to anchor in the Constitution the process of accession to the European Union. With 100% scrutiny complete, The pro-European option was raised by just over 13,000 ballots (50.46% compared to 49.54%). “Whether you voted in Soroca, Chisinau (the capital), Stefan Voda, Milan or Dublin, whether you cast your vote at dawn or late at night, you have chosen to move Moldova towards peace and prosperity,” Sandu said of two in the afternoon, in a convention center in the northwest of the capital. The European institutions have welcomed the result of the referendum.
Beyond the slim margin of victory, in which the diaspora vote was essential in the final stretch of the scrutiny, the Moldovan head of state gave some details of what she had already announced in the early morning: the authorities are aware that 150,000 people received money in exchange for voting for one option or another. “Criminals, who seek power at any price, tried to use democracy as a weakness. They wanted to divide us and destroy us,” Sandu said.
With the data offered by the president, who, when asked about the Russian lead in this fraudulent scheme, did not want to give a decision, it is unknown if all those who received the money finally went to vote. The figure, those 150,000 citizens, is not trivial. Moldova is a small country, with around 2.5 million inhabitants in the national territory, plus 1.2 million who live abroad.. In the electoral event, 1.5 million voters voted, so the massive bribery reached a percentage of the population equivalent to 10% of the electoral participation this Sunday. “Do the calculations,” Sandu added in reference to the turnout and the ballots with the “no” box checked to reject the constitutional reform. In both cases, the difference between the final result and what was expected before the matchday is around 10 points.
But there is more. According to Sandu, the objective of this “assault” on Moldovan democracy was the purchase of up to 300,000 votes. “Unfortunately, the justice system did not do enough to prevent vote manipulation and corruption,” he admitted. Moldovan authorities have opened an investigation into vote selling. The BBC reporter Sarah Rainsford was able to confirm next to the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria (the yes vote in this enclave slightly exceeded 37%) how a voter received the offer of around 1,000 rubles (10 euros) for supporting a candidate.
It is not the first time, however, that Chisinau denounces interference in the electoral process through the payment of wills. At the beginning of October, the Moldovan Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office denounced the existence of a network of some 130,000 paid citizens ready to intervene in the elections. The plot included territorial leaders, activists, sector presidents and sympathizers, recruited by oligarch Ilan Shor, resident in Russia and sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for withdrawing almost 1 billion euros from the country’s banking system a decade ago.
“Whenever we are close to the EU,” said Iulian Grosa, former Moldovan deputy foreign minister, in a meeting with the press in which EL PAÍS participated, invited by the National Center for the Defense of European Integration of Moldova, “we are also close of problems with Russia.” Grosa, director of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), recalls a fact that reflects how the no campaign has developed, in the background: “Nine of the presidential candidates did not even register for the referendum, nor for “yes or no, only two did so in favor of the consultation.”
The presidential elections, to the second round
But neither Moldova nor Sandu have time to plug the enormous holes that criminal groups linked to Moscow are taking advantage of to deploy a hybrid offensive against the EU accession process, which started with the first negotiations in December 2023. This Sunday also presidential elections. None of the candidates exceeded 50% of the ballots and there will be a second round in two weeks, on November 3. Sandu, at the head of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), with 42% support in the first round, will face Alexander Stoianoglo, leader of the Party of Socialists, who obtained 26%.
“I am grateful to everyone who made their voices heard yesterday (this Sunday) and showed us the path they want for Moldova,” Sandu said at a press conference. “To ensure that these efforts are not in vain and to protect what we have, we must ensure full mobilization for the next elections.” The revalidation of the presidential elections, however, will test two things: whether Chisinau is capable of avoiding external interference and whether the tight result of the consultation on EU accession, below the expectations of PAS, with a majority as well in Parliament, it does not take its toll.
Shortly after Sandu’s appearance, the mission of international observers (representatives of the OSCE, Council of Europe and European Parliament)meeting in Chisinau, praised the good management of the double electoral date in Moldova despite the Russian campaign to undermine its integrity. “We welcome the results,” said Michael Gahler, head of the European Parliament delegation. “Despite Russia’s unprecedented massive, malignant and illicit interference,” the MEP continued, “especially through vote buying, hybrid attacks and disinformation, the people of the Republic of Moldova chose a future in the EU.” . Gahler, a German diplomat, called for resistance from the actors involved in the face of the second round of the presidential and legislative elections in June 2025.
Rebellion against propaganda, however, seems difficult. The most vulnerable population, the oldest, or the one that has been most sympathetic to the Kremlin has heard and read in recent months messages about the end of traditional values, the closure of churches, businesses, the entry into war in favor of Ukraine or openness towards the LGTBI community. All this would happen, these sectors warned, if Moldova finally entered the Twenty-Seven club. With the referendum validated, the Constitutional Court will ratify the results in 10 days. If it does so, the text on the EU accession process will be published in the official Moldovan gazette to be automatically incorporated into the country’s fundamental law.
At the same time that the observation mission offered its first conclusions, Stoianoglo, a candidate for the head of state, noted for his ties to Moscow, appeared in the capital. The former Moldovan attorney general, in an appearance in Romanian, the country’s official language, and, later, in Russian, offered a message of unity towards his political adversary in the face of external interference, which in his case comes from Brussels. “We must not forget our Russian heritage,” he said, “Europe cannot come and tell us how we want to be.”
Joy in Brussels
As soon as she learned of the validation of the results by international observers, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, celebrated the victory of the yes vote on social networks, reports Silvia Ayuso.
“Congratulations to the Moldovan people and President Maia Sandu, you have done it again!” the German celebrated. The head of the European Executive has avoided commenting on the tightness of the victory, but she has condemned the attempts at Russian interference denounced from Chisinau and corroborated by Brussels. “In the face of Russia’s hybrid tactics, Moldova shows that it is independent, strong and wants a European future,” stressed Von der Leyen, who visited the EU candidate country at the beginning of the month to express her support for Sandu and the efforts of accession to the European bloc. The Moldovan yes “despite the obvious external interference” constitutes “a signal that reaffirms your commitment to a European path and to continue the necessary reforms that will transform your country,” said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
From Strasbourg, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has also claimed results that, she agrees, bring Moldova closer to Europe. “The Moldovan people have chosen their future. You have chosen hope, stability, opportunity. “He has chosen Europe,” proclaimed the Maltese, who also condemned, on behalf of the chamber, “any interference in the Moldovan referendum and presidential elections.” “We are proud to be one of Moldova’s main allies and understand that its future lies in the EU. “We fully support their path to accession to the EU,” he added.
Already on election night, Sunday, Sandu had denounced an “unprecedented” attack by “foreign forces” in the consultation to reform the Constitution and protect entry to the EU, an extreme corroborated by Brussels. “We have seen that the votes – the consultation and the presidential elections – have taken place under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its associates, with the intention of destabilizing the democratic process in Moldova,” indicated the Foreign Ministry spokesperson. the EU. These efforts to influence the elections do not refer to election day or even the days before, but are a “long-standing” effort that “has many faces,” he stressed. This is also why it is difficult to combat it, given that neither Russia nor its allies “respect limits,” the spokesperson explained.
