Moldova’s vote in favour of joining the European Union should have been a source of joy for the country’s pro-Europe President, Maia Sandu. However, the mood among her supporters was subdued last night. Leaving campaign headquarters early, they abandoned the EU flags they had gathered to celebrate what was widely expected to be a resounding vote of confidence by Moldovans in favour of enshrining the long-term goal of EU membership in the country’s constitution.
Instead, just 50.46% voted in favour. Yet the source of Moldovans’ apparent division on the issue — and Sandu’s disappointment — is likely to lie not in the country itself but rather further afield, in Moscow. Sandu released a statement today about the result, complaining that “criminal groups, working together with foreign forces hostile to our national interests, have attacked our country with tens of millions of euros, lies and propaganda, using the most disgraceful means to keep our citizens and our nation trapped in uncertainty and instability.”
While Sandu did not herself name Russia as the culprit, Moldovan authorities this month accused pro-Russia Moldovan-Israeli tycoon Ilan Shor and his affiliates of funnelling over $15million in Russian funds to around 130,000 Moldovan citizens — roughly 10% of the active electorate. In a Telegram video last month, Shor said he would pay voters for registering with his campaign and even more for voting “No” in the referendum.
The vote will not impact upon Moldova’s entry into the EU, since the referendum was not legally binding and accession talks, which began in June, will continue. However, Moscow has deprived Sandu of her resounding victory and the opportunity to finally put an end to the enduring internal debate about whether Chișinǎu should lean towards Moscow or the West.