Moldova narrowly votes for EU membership amid fraud claims

The Kremlin called on Sandu to “prove” election interference in the ex-Soviet republic bordering war-torn Ukraine and alleged “anomalies” in Moldova’s vote count.

Sandu managed to top the first round of presidential elections held at the same time as the referendum on Sunday, but will face a tough second round against Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor backed by the pro-Russian Socialists.

Sandu applied for her country of 2.6 million people to join the European Union following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

With more than 99 per cent of the votes counted, the “yes” vote was slightly ahead at 50.28 per cen – just 8,000 votes more than the anti-EU camp.

A stern Sandu said late Sunday that Moldova had witnessed “an unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy, both today and in recent months,” blaming “criminal groups, working together with foreign forces hostile to our national interests”.