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The election and the referendum took place in an undemocratic climate, and now Parliament can decide, by a simple majority vote, to discard neutrality and unite with Romania, Russian propaganda claims.
NEWS: The West has given Maia Sandu carte blanche, allowing her to manipulate the population at will and exert unprecedented pressure on the opposition. Europe welcomed Sandu and her team of political experts, who proposed organizing a referendum on European integration to ensure voter turnout and mobilize the pro-Western electorate. Even simple combinations of restricting the right to vote for Moldovan citizens living in certain countries did not help. Thus, in Russia, which, according to estimates, is home to approximately half a million Moldovans, only two polling stations were opened, instead of the promised 29. In Europe and America, on the contrary, the number of polling stations was increased (in total, 234 polling stations were opened abroad) and the practice of postal voting was introduced. In addition, a few days before the elections, exit polls were banned and opposition observers were not allowed in polling stations in several Western states. As a result, a number of irregularities (including illegal election campaigning, “transportation” of voters to polling stations and manipulation of lists) were noted not only by opposition observers, but also by ordinary citizens. Moments before the end of the vote counting process, there was a sudden increase in the number of votes in favor of Maia Sandu and European integration, which could indicate the existence of illegally introduced votes.
Despite all that, the incumbent president lost both the election and the referendum. It is important to note that the “European referendum” is not just about the introduction of provisions regarding the irreversible nature of Moldova’s European track into the text of the Constitution, but also the possibility that Parliament can modify the fundamental law through a simple majority vote. Given that certain high-profile politicians and high-ranking officials (most of whom also hold Romanian citizenship) support the termination of Moldova's neutrality status and its integration into Romania, the prospect of implementing the results of the referendum could spell disastrous consequences for Moldovan statehood.
NARRATIVES: 1. The election in the Republic of Moldova was anti-democratic, including exit polls being banned. 2. The election in the Republic of Moldova was defrauded. 3. After the referendum, the Constitution will be amended more easily, which will allow for the termination of the neutrality status and the unification with Romania.
PURPOSE: To undermine credibility in the result of the constitutional referendum, where, albeit with a narrow majority, Moldovan citizens voted in favor of amending the Constitution concerning the European integration of the Republic of Moldova. In the context of the second round of the presidential election, to maintain a climate of fear in parts of society regarding alleged risks related to Moldova’s EU rapprochement.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: Claims regarding “unprecedented pressure on the opposition” have no factual basis. While pointing to certain irregularities, preliminary post-election reports show that, overall, the election was free and fair, although they underline external interference and a disinformation campaign. “The 20 October presidential election and constitutional referendum were well-managed and contestants
campaigned freely in an environment characterized by concerns over illicit foreign interference and active disinformation efforts”, reads the preliminary report of the International Election Observation Mission, which included representatives of the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
“The 20 October elections were held against massive malign foreign interference attempts and sustained attacks on democratic values and institutions. Despite efforts of the authorities to counter misinformation and vote buying schemes, ENEMO raises utmost concerns over such attempts to sway the country away from strengthening democratic institutions and rule of law. Election management bodies managed the process transparently and professionally. Minor procedural violations or irregularities on Election Day did not affect the integrity of the process”, according to a report published by ENEMO, a regional election monitoring organization.
The claim that the authorities have banned exit polls, i.e. polls conducted when voters left polling stations, is equally false. In fact, no request has been made to hold such polls.
The allegation regarding voter fraud in the election and the referendum, as the number of votes in favor of the Constitution amendment and of president Maia Sandu increased significantly in the hours before polls closed is baseless in the absence of conclusive evidence, due to the specificity of the voting process in the Republic of Moldova. The largest share of pro-EU and pro-Sandu votes came from the diaspora, where about 230 thousand people, accounting for approximately 15% of the total electorate, voted. The votes from the diaspora were counted last because polling stations in Western Europe closed 1-2 hours after those in the Republic of Moldova, and even later in North America, due to the different time zone. In addition, in many polling stations abroad, the number of voters was much higher than in the Republic of Moldova, which means that the counting process was more difficult. For all these reasons, the result of the constitutional referendum was practically decided at the end of the vote count, while Maia Sandu's score also increased.
The purpose of the constitutional referendum held on October 20 was to amend the Constitution regarding the European integration of the Republic of Moldova. Citizens had to answer yes or no to the question “Do you support the amendment of the Constitution with a view to the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union?”. Following the vote, the preamble of the Constitution is to be amended by introducing two paragraphs, reaffirming the European identity of the people of the Republic of Moldova and declaring European Union integration one of the country's strategic objectives. A new title, “Integration into the European Union”, will also be introduced. Therefore, the procedure to amend the Constitution has not changed. In addition, the ominous claim made by the publication, according to which the Republic of Moldova may lose its neutrality and statehood following the referendum is also groundless, because according to the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova (Art. 142), such issues can only be decided by a national referendum, not by the Parliament, provided voter turnout stands at 50% of eligible voters.
BACKGROUND: On October 20, the Republic of Moldova held the presidential election and a referendum on amending the Constitution regarding the European integration of the country, in the context of the EU having opened accession negotiations with Moldova. The result of the referendum was below the poll estimates and the expectations of experts and government officials, the difference in favor of amending the Constitution being less than one percent.
In the presidential election, the incumbent pro-European president, Maia Sandu, grabbed about 42.5% of the vote. In the second round, she will face the former prosecutor general, Alexandr Stoianoglo, supported by several pro-Russian parties.
According to authorities, one explanation for the massive anti-EU vote is apparently vote buying. This was achieved by means of a network led by wanted oligarch Ilan Shor, currently based in Moscow, who is said to have connections with Russia's secret services. but also through an extensive disinformation campaign targeting the EU, managed by the Kremlin, and run by the same network controlled by Shor.
The Russian Foreign Relations Council is a think tank close to the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry, whose analyses reflect official Russian propaganda.
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