The referendum and the first round of the presidential elections in Moldova took place "under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies," a European Commission spokesperson stated on Monday.
The spokesperson noted that the interference aimed to destabilise Moldova’s democratic processes and took many forms, ranging from vote-buying attempts to spreading disinformation.
For an official response to the election results from Sunday's referendum on EU membership, the Commission is awaiting the announcement of the official results and the report from the OSCE electoral observer mission.
Currently, the pro-European camp appears to have a very narrow majority in the referendum on enshrining the pursuit of EU membership in the constitution, with 99% of the votes counted showing 50.28% in favour.
In her first official reaction in the middle of the night, the head of state President Maia Sandu condemned "an unprecedented attack on democracy" and vowed to "not give in" to acts of suspected Russian interference.
The Commission reiterated its full support for Moldova’s ambitions and efforts to join the EU. Moldova, along with Ukraine, was recognised as a candidate country in June 2022, directly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.
