Moldova's president alleges vote-buying tainted EU referendum results

euronews (in English)

Moldovan President Maia Sandu denounced an "an assault on democracy and freedom," as she said criminal groups had bought Moldovan citizens' votes prior to the EU referendum on Sunday.

Transcript

00:00Moldovan President Maya Sandu denounced vote buying in the constitutional referendum on

00:07the country's EU accession, which the pro-Europe side won by a narrow margin, 50.4% vs. 49.6%.

00:18Sandu claims that 130,000 people have been paid to vote no by criminal entities, with

00:24voters instructed on how to cast their ballots.

00:54Sandu did not mention Russia or any other foreign actor.

00:58She only envisaged dirty interference trying to block Moldova's path towards EU membership.

01:04But despite her claims, the presidency is not showing any evidence of electoral corruption.

01:10Moldova's main opposition considers instead that it was Sandu's lack of credibility that

01:14dragged down the result of the EU referendum.

01:19The International Election Observation Mission did not report any evidence of vote theft

01:24and corruption at the polling station.

01:26But its report underlines various forms of manipulative interferences to destabilize

01:31the country, elicit financing of political actors, disinformation campaigns and cyber

01:37attacks.

01:38There have also been multifold statements from simple citizens who say, well, quick

01:44money for poor people, that is something that I take.

01:47So that is not something that is hear and say only, but is very concrete.

01:55The European Commission said it had witnessed unprecedented interference by Russia in Moldova

02:01and that Moscow aimed to destabilize the country.

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