“She won fair and square in an unequal battle,” President Maya Sandu said of Moldova, once again denouncing “vote meddling” in the referendum and first-round presidential elections.

“Thanks to you, dear Moldovans, we have won a first battle in a difficult war that will determine the future of our country,” the outgoing president said in a video posted on her Facebook account.

Roberta Metsola congratulated Moldova for its “courage” after a narrow “yes” vote in a referendum on the country’s membership of the European Union in a vote marked by accusations of Russian interference.

“Well done to the Republic of Moldova! Thank you for your courage,” Roberta Metsola wrote on Platform X, adding that the future of the European Union and Moldova “will be written together.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk congratulated “a courageous nation” for expressing support for EU membership as well as the first-place finish of outgoing pro-European President Maya Sandu in the first round of the presidential election.

“She angered Moscow, impressed Europe, saved her country once again – that’s Maya Sandu. A great leader and a courageous country,” the former European Council president wrote on platform X, commenting on the “yes” victory in the referendum on Moldova’s accession to the European Union.

Marginal victory for “yes”

After the “no” vote prevailed during the vote count, the “yes” finally won this morning with the integration of the votes of the Moldovan diaspora with 50.28%, after 99% of the votes were counted.

Voting in the referendum and the first round of the presidential election took place yesterday Sunday in a climate of unprecedented interference by Russia, according to the European Commission. Moscow has complained of “anomalies” in the vote count.

Having secured first place in the first round of the presidential election, Maya Sandu is due to face Aleksandr Stoyanoglu, a candidate backed by pro-Russian socialists, in early November.

This will be followed by crucial parliamentary elections in the summer of 2025.

Source: APE-MPA