MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Voters in the small former Soviet republic of Moldova went to the polls yesterday, facing two big decisions. They are electing a president and deciding whether to make European Union membership an official state goal. The vote was shadowed by accusations of interference by Russia, and it revealed yet another rift between the Kremlin and the West. NPR's Charles Maynes is with us now from Moscow to tell us more. Good morning, Charles.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So tell us more about why this European Union membership vote matters.
MAYNES: Well, this vote was supposed to enshrine Moldova's pursuit of European Union membership into the Constitution. In other words, provide clarity, even if symbolic, on Moldova's future. You know, would Moldova pivot for good away from Moscow's orbit towards Europe? It's a process that's been accelerated amid the war in Ukraine. Or would it return back under Russia's sway, where Moldova has really been through much of its recent history?
MARTIN: Do we know anything about the results so far?
MAYNES: Well, Moldovans narrowly voted in favor of the pro-EU amendment, but just barely - I mean, just over 50%. And the near tie would inject - seem to inject ambiguity, not only into Moldova's EU ambitions but also these explicitly pro-Western policies of the current Moldovan leadership amid the war in Ukraine. You know, as you noted in your intro, there's a presidential race here as well, and Moldova's pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, led all candidates but failed to clear a required 50% hurdle for outright victory. So, you know, she'll now face a runoff in a few weeks against the Socialist Party challenger seeking better ties with Moscow. He did much better than expected and could consolidate votes against Sandu in the next round.
MARTIN: OK. So a split electorate with big choices about the country's future on the ballot. Where have I heard that before? But OK. In Moldova's case, was this result a surprise?
MAYNES: Well, you know, polls showed a clear majority of Moldovans supported EU membership, but the vote was shadowed by these allegations of Russian meddling. And President Sandu argues that distorted the results.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT MAIA SANDU: (Non-English language spoken).
MAYNES: So Sandu gave a statement last night saying there was clear evidence of fraud on an unprecedented scale. Those are her words. Moldovan authorities accused Russia of everything from disinformation campaigns to open vote bribing schemes and fear-mongering - all charges the Kremlin denies.
MARTIN: Charles, you're in Moscow now. That's why we reached you. Many people from Moldova live and work there, and they are eligible to vote. Is there anything you can tell us about what that looked like?
MAYNES: Yeah. You know, I was out at the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow on Sunday, where there were huge lines - people waiting two hours or so. At times, it felt kind of like a party, as I think you can hear in the background there. The thing is that party sometimes felt a little too organized. There were volunteers in matching Moldova-Russia jackets giving out free coffee. I even met one gentleman, a bus driver, who showed me his list of voters he'd been tasked with bringing to the polling station.
MARTIN: And what about the voters in line? What do they tell you?
MAYNES: Well, you know, I spent all afternoon there and I couldn't find one person who supported President Sandu or the EU vote. I spoke with older Moldovans who remember the Soviet Union as this era of stability, but also younger Moldovans who were just euroskeptics. You know, they thought Moldova would never actually get EU membership, so why not be friends with Russia in their view? Meanwhile, some seem to resent being forced to choose between East and West. The best option they argued for Moldova would be good relations with everybody.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Charles, thank you.
MAYNES: Hey, thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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