Moldova's EU referendum: A divided nation, a Russian defeat
Around half of Moldova's citizens voted "yes" in Sunday's referendum on the country's EU membership. The chairman of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Republic of Moldova commented on the results. "It's Russia's defeat," he wrote.
"As chair of the @Europarl_EN relations with #Moldova, I will make sure that the will of the people expressed in the #EUReferendum is respected, and that the country will continue its European path," emphasized Muresan.
After counting votes from 99% of polling stations, the referendum results are almost evenly divided. 50% of Moldovans supported the inclusion of Eurointegration in the country's constitution in the Sunday referendum.
The Kremlin suggests that the voting results were falsified. Dmitry Peskov stated, without providing evidence, that the rate of increase in votes supporting Moldova's integration with the EU is "difficult to explain."
Presidential elections in Moldova. Results are in
According to preliminary presidential election results, after counting almost all votes, the incumbent President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, received 42% support, reported the Reuters agency.
Since Sandu won the election in 2020 (and her party the following year), Moldova has chosen a pro-Western course, with the main goal of entering the EU. Moldova has started accession negotiations with the EU. Sandu announces the continuation of her policy - striving for EU integration and reforms, economic development, and strengthening democracy.
According to authorities in Chișinău, Russian hybrid activities aimed at undermining the pro-Western government's policy have been even more intense than before these elections. These include information campaigns and illegal transfers of money to the country for pro-Russian activists and politicians intended for "buying votes" of voters.
