Earlier preliminary results had indicted a majority "no," but a surge of ballots from abroad provided last-minute support for EU membership. The referendum comes amid allegations of Russia-backed voter fraud
Earlier preliminary results had indicted a majority "no," but a surge of ballots from abroad provided last-minute support for EU membership. The referendum comes amid allegations of Russia-backed voter fraud
With more than 99% of the votes counted, the "yes" vote for EU membership in Moldova's referendum was slightly ahead at 50.28% --- only 8,000 votes more than the anti-EU camp.
Earlier, Moldovans appeared to have rejected plans for the former Soviet republic to add its goal of joining the EU to the constitution, according to preliminary results from 70% of ballots in the country's referendum from Sunday evening.
However, ballots from Moldovans living abroad were counted towards the end, giving the "yes" camp a last-minute push.
A largely agricultural country of around 2.5 million people, Moldova has sought to cut ties with Moscow and move closer to the EU since Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.