The polls have now closed in Moldova, where citizens have been participating in the country’s presidential election and in a referendum on whether to include the objective of joining the European Union in the constitution.
After counting more than half of the votes in the referendum, the No vote was leading with 56%, according to information released by Moldova’s electoral commission.
A victory for the No side would be unexpected for many, as several recent surveys indicated that 63% of voters would support the Yes campaign.
In the presidential election, it seems that over 50% of the votes counted so far suggest that pro-EU president Maia Sandu is in the lead – although the margin is closer than expected.
It seems that she has not managed to secure more than half of the votes – which means she and the second leading candidate, Aleksandr Stoianoglo, supported by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists, will go to a run-off on 3 November. Stoianoglo may have garnered around 30% of the votes, higher than anticipated.
At Sandu’s campaign headquarters on Sunday evening, the atmosphere was very subdued, with one of her advisors describing the current results as “not what we were expecting”.
Initially, Sandu’s team attributed her lower-than-anticipated results to the first count coming in from rural areas. However, the count from larger cities did not change the situation much – hence the somber mood.
The advisor suggested that “it seems like whatever they had planned, might have worked,” pointing to allegations of vote-buying linked to Russia.
Moldova’s foreign ministry announced that voting had to be extended in Moscow, as well as at two polling stations in Romania and one in France, due to the high number of expat voters still waiting in line. This caused a slight delay in the counting process.
The voter turnout was over 51% when the polls closed at 21:00 local time (18:00 GMT), making the referendum valid.
However, the government’s culture minister expressed optimism that Sandu could still win the presidency in the first round, noting that the votes for her closest competitor have remained stable for some time.
Speaking from Sandu’s headquarters as her supporters watched the counting process, Sergiu Prodan also stated that he was not concerned about the EU vote.
He mentioned that it would likely be a close result, but the “yes” vote would prevail as the votes from major cities, where support for the EU is strongest, are yet to be tallied.
After casting her vote in the Moldovan capital Chisinau earlier on Sunday, Sandu highlighted the significance of the referendum vote in shaping Moldova’s future for “many decades to come”.
She emphasized that people were deciding on how they and their country should live, and cautioned against allowing what she referred to as “dirty money” to influence their vote – a possible reference to allegations of a vote-buying campaign associated with Russia. The Kremlin has firmly denied these accusations.
Several presidential candidates declared that they would boycott the referendum. Aleksandr Stoianoglo stated that he did not support the idea of amending the constitution, though he indicated his backing for his country’s “European aspirations”.
Many young individuals waiting in line at polling stations mentioned that they were voting to choose a European future for their country – for economic reasons and for more opportunities.
Some expressed their frustration at being influenced by Moscow, even decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Moldova’s independence.
“We must opt for a European future for our country, for our children, our future – for geopolitics, for peace, that’s what matters most,” a voter named Oksana told the BBC. “Because we are caught between European and Russian influence, and we have to decide what we want.”
At a polling station for residents of the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria – which receives economic, political, and military support from Russia – the BBC uncovered evidence of vote-buying.
A BBC producer overheard a woman who had just cast her ballot in the transparent box ask an election monitor where she would receive payment.
Outside, when asked directly if she had been given money to vote, she admitted it without hesitation. She was upset that a man who had sent her to the polling station was no longer answering her calls. “He tricked me!” she exclaimed.
She declined to reveal who she had voted for.
In September, Ilan Shor – the fugitive Moldovan businessman accused of funneling significant sums of money into the country from Russia – offered money to persuade “as many people as possible” to vote No or to abstain in the EU referendum.
This week, Shor released a video statement urging people to vote for “anyone but Sandu” in the presidential election.