Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, said this Sunday morning that the vote is not just a “stamp on a piece of paper” but the expression of your “destiny.” That of the citizens of this country (2.5 million inhabitants) will continue to be divided in two, polarized between possible accession to the European Union, which was asked about in a constitutional referendum during election day, and the siren song of Russia “Pro-Russian formations have campaigned for a boycott of the consultation.” When the schools closed, at nine at night (one hour less in mainland Spain), the participation figure in the referendum slightly exceeded 49% of the electoral roll, sufficient attendance to validate the consultation, which requires a vote. of a third of the voters. However, with more than 89% of the vote and the lack of counting of foreign ballots, the pro-European option suffered a severe setback. This Sunday, Moldovans were also called to elect a president, with Sandu, head of the pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, as the favorite. In these elections for the head of state, 51.55% of those who came to vote participated, eight points above the first round of 2020.

Polls in recent weeks predicted that the result of the referendum would be favorable to the reform of the Constitution to include and protect membership of the community club as a pillar for the future of this Eastern European country. If the result of the advanced scrutiny is maintained, the pro-European path traced in recent years would be at the mercy of changes in the political direction of the Government – legislative elections will be held in June 2025. The current negotiations with the EU have been open since December, but the authorities estimate that the process will reach its final stage in 2030, as long as Chisinau meets Brussels’ conditions. And if Moscow’s pressure on the population does not have a greater effect.

“The will of the people must determine their destiny, and not dirty money or lies,” said Sandu, surrounded by a tangle of cameras around eleven in the morning this Sunday from the Licelul Teoretic Petru Rares educational center, in the capital. Without mentioning it, the re-election candidate was referring to the hybrid pressure campaign deployed by Moscow through propaganda, disinformation and vote buying. The Promo-LEX organizationobserver of the electoral process, has denounced this Sunday several cases of groups of voters who went to the polls after paying a sum of money in exchange for their support for some of the candidates in the running.

Among the candidates with options to compete with Sandu in the scrutiny are former attorney general Alexander Stoianoglo, of the Socialists Party; populist leader Renato Usatii; and Irina Vlah, independent candidate and former governor of Gagauzia. These three have been branded in the past as pro-Moscow, although they have not used a pro-Kremlin narrative during their campaign. If no candidate obtains more than 50% of the votes, as the first counting data seems to indicate, there will be a second round on November 3.

Election day progressed this Sunday, cold and cloudy, with very modest participation figures. A trickle that has kept those sectors of society that want to accelerate the rapprochement towards Brussels in tension. The message from those who have spoken to the reporters present at the polling stations – the pro-Russian discourse is more elusive – is clear: more Europe. “All the problems come from there, from Moscow,” André Moraru, 48, pointed out in the morning, after depositing his ballot at the Licelul Teoretic Petru Rares with his son. “If the EU means more economy, Russia means more misinformation,” continued this employee of a car rental company.

Manoli Victor, 35, an engineer, accompanied by his wife, Alina, a 32-year-old teacher, offered a simple explanation for his particular attachment to Europe next to the steps of the same center: “I want better roads for my country.” A practical answer, but very much in line with what Moldova has ahead of it if it continues its commitment to the EU. The improvement of infrastructure is one of the sections included in the 1.8 billion euro package committed by Brussels on the 10th under the name of the Growth Plan. Asked about the Kremlin’s maneuvers, Victor, cautiously, stated: “What they are doing here is not right.” Russia has an effect in Moldova and this couple is a true reflection. They admit that after the invasion of neighboring Ukraine, in February 2022, they prepared things in case they had to flee with their three children.

The battle for the young vote

More than 1.5 million people came to vote this Sunday, although not all of them cast the two ballots, those for the presidential elections and those for the constitutional consultation. More than 230,000 Moldovans, according to preliminary participation data, did so from one of the electoral posts abroad, where another 1.2 million nationals reside. The former Soviet republic has to fight, like many other European democracies, the battle to attract the young vote: only 8% of voters between 18 and 25 years old have exercised the right to vote, according to the Central Election Commission.

Corina Raiu, 40, went early in the afternoon to her polling station, a daycare center in the small town of Straseni, on the outskirts of the capital. While watching his son running around in the school park, Raiu explained that he wants to choose the path the country will take for children like his and that, for this reason, he voted “for freedom, stability and the future.” It doesn’t take much digging to know that this worker, dedicated to finance at a communications company, checked the yes box on the referendum ballot. She clarified, however, that the attempts at Russian interference, denounced by the authorities and security forces, do not directly affect her: “It is not in my head or in that of my friends or those around me, but perhaps it is in that of my parents.” .

Ten steps from Raiu, Elena Miron, 72, accompanied her daughter, Cristina, 36, after having cast the vote as a family. With the laughter that accompanies the first rays of afternoon sun, the young woman admitted that those of her generation are “more open” to the EU than the older ones, whom she describes as “more manipulable.” “As soon as they talk to them about the pension, for example, it affects them.” After nodding, his mother, by way of confidence, shared something that many still agree with in Moldova: “There are still pro-Russian citizens, even in this town, who want to block Europe. But we are going to climb that step.” For that, the constitutional referendum will have to obtain a majority of affirmative votes. With the scrutiny closed, it will be the Constitutional Court that will verify its validity so that it automatically passes into Moldovan legislation.