The mood at Sandu’s campaign headquarters on Sunday evening was extremely subdued, with one of her aides describing the results as “not what we expected.”
Sandu, who has cultivated close ties with Moldova’s EU neighbors, campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum. She previously said the vote would determine Moldova’s future “for decades to come.”
When first results began to show that the negative votes had turned out better than expected, Sandu’s team had issued disappointing results in the first count of votes from villages and rural areas.
The big city numbers narrowed the lead for no votes, but by 01:00 (22:00 GMT) few thought the yes camp still had a chance.
Many of Sandu’s supporters left her headquarters in Chisinau, where they had hoped to celebrate her victory, even before the count was finished. The small EU flags they were given to wave were discarded, on chairs or scattered on the ground.
One Sandu adviser suggested, “whatever they planned may have worked,” referring to allegations of vote-buying linked to Russia.
When voting closed at 21:00 local time (18:00 GMT), voter turnout exceeded 51%, making the referendum valid.
As the night deepened, the gap widened further.
Several presidential candidates boycotted the referendum. Aleksandr Stoianoglo said he supported his country’s “European aspirations” but did not support the idea of constitutional changes.
But many of the young people lining the polls on Sunday expressed support for Moldova’s future as an EU member, with some saying they voted because they wanted to choose a European future for their country and its economy. For more opportunities.
Some said they were tired of being ‘pulled’ towards Moscow even decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Moldova’s independence.
