Moldova votes: referendum reveals split on EU accession
On Sunday, October 20, citizens of the Republic of Moldova visited the polls to elect their future president and express their views on the country’s direction.
The referendum on amending the Constitution to facilitate accession to the European Union divided the nation. The results remained closely contested between the two camps, fluctuating throughout the day. According to updated data from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), after counting 98.56% of the ballots, 50.16% of Moldovans (735,834 votes) voted "YES," while 49.84% (731,123 votes) voted "NO." The current margin between the two camps stands at 4,711 votes.
“NO” for Amending the Constitution in Most Regions
In 27 regions across the country, Moldovans voted against the constitutional amendments aimed at joining the European Union, according to preliminary data released by the CEC.
In nine regions, citizens voted "YES" in the plebiscite. These regions include Telenești, Călărași, Nisporeni, Strășeni, Criuleni, Ialoveni, Hâncești, Cantemir, and the capital, Chișinău.
The referendum has passed, according to the preliminary data from the CEC, albeit by a narrow margin. The decisive difference has been attributed to the substantial voter turnout from abroad. In the diaspora, 77.15% (165,521 votes) supported the "YES" option on the ballot, while 22.85% (49,016 votes) voted "NO."
As of this hour, the CEC has processed 201 out of 231 ballots from the diaspora, representing 87.01%.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
