Update: After counting almost 99% of the votes, the referendum result is still uncertain, with a minor difference between 'yes' and 'no', but with 'yes' votes now in the lead - 50.08% vs 49.92%, according to Biziday.ro.

Initial story: The referendum on Moldova’s European Union membership indicated a tight balance between those opting in favor and against inking the accession process in the country’s Constitution after counting the votes from 2,175 of the 2,219 polling stations: 50.11% ‘no’ votes versus 49.89% ‘yes’ votes, according to the country’s central electoral commission.

In the first ballot for the presidential elections, pro-EU president Maia Sandu was leading with 41.85% of the votes, followed by Socialist Party’s Alexandr Stoianoglo (26.35%), independent politician Renato Usatii (13.76%), and former governor of Gagauzia Irina Vlah (5.46%). 

Even if the public referendum ends with marginal support in favor of Moldova’s EU accession, the tight result will justify the opposition’s protests against the process. President Sandu repeatedly said that the EU accession requires broad support from the population. 

The turnout in the referendum exceeded 50%, well above the 33.3% threshold set by the Constitutional Court.

Separately, the political turmoil generated by the tight results of the constitutional referendum may help opposition parties keep their electoral base active for the second round of the presidential elections, where the combined electorates of the opposition candidates may surpass the pro-EU electorate.

Several hours after the ballot closed and the preliminary results were predominantly against Moldova’s EU membership, president Sandu accused that “criminal groups intended to buy 300,000 votes” in an “unprecedented attack to our democracy.”

“Criminal groups, backed by foreign forces, have attacked our country with lies and propaganda. We have evidence and information that a criminal group intended to buy 300,000 votes. This is an unprecedented fraud, the purpose of which is to compromise democracy. Their goal is to sow fear and panic in society,” president Maia Sandu stated.

Fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who is hidden in Moscow, with the support of Russian authorities, has indeed carried out a broad and complex campaign against president Sandu and the pro-EU referendum. But the two candidates informally backed by Shor (Victoria Furtuna and Vasile Tarlev) are not among the first four ones, and they obtained 4.5% and 3.2% of the votes, respectively.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Elena Covalenco)