Moldova: Sandu heads for likely runoff, EU referendum narrowly rejected
Nation21 October 2024, 09:46 AM
Her opponent, former Prosecutor General Alexander Stoianoglo of the pro-Russian Socialist Party, is in second place with 26.35%.
Renato Usatîi, the former mayor of the city of Balti, came in third with 13.77%.
Since no candidate is expected to win 50% of the vote, a second round is likely.
In the referendum, 49.86% of citizens voted in favor of amending the constitution to allow Moldova to join the EU, while 50.14% voted against.
The Central Election Commission has so far processed 1.507 million votes, with a turnout of 42.44%.
Sandu has accused "criminal groups" of trying to buy 300,000 votes and claimed unprecedented electoral fraud.
In May 2024, the Moldovan parliament, where Sandu's ruling Action and Solidarity (PAS) party holds the majority, scheduled a referendum to coincide with the presidential election. Citizens voted on whether to enshrine Moldova's EU membership aspirations in the constitution.
If a majority votes "yes," the constitution will reference the irreversibility of Moldova's European path and include a chapter on European integration. This chapter will outline the rules for the country's accession to the EU's founding treaties and establish the priority of EU law over Moldova's internal legislation in cases of conflict.