(21 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chisinau, Moldova – 21 October 2024
1. Various of early morning in Chisinau, commuters, buses
2. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Iurie Mahovici, music teacher: ++SPEAKING ABOUT THE NARROW MARGIN RESULT OF THE VOTE++
"It’s sad for me because I absolutely cannot understand why it happened like this because all aspects of life and perspectives show that we should be in EU. I don’t know how a large part of population did not understand this but it’s regrettable."
3. Commuters
4. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Alexandru, no last name given, private sector worker:
“We hope that things will be better both economically and socially, we wait for the young ones that left abroad to come back to Moldova and we hope for a better development in the countryside, in the villages."
5. Various of pigeons on pebbles, EU flag in Central Park in Chisinau
6. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Iulian Groza, Executive Director at The Institute for European Policies and Reforms:
“The citizens’ answer (to the referendum) was very clear, they decided for themselves, they went to vote in this referendum in unprecedented numbers and we have a positive result, indeed at the limit, but this result must be seen in the broader context Moldova finds itself, in a confrontation with the Russian Federation and these are the challenges we must preoccupy ourselves with from now on and this result _ again, at the limit but still positive because the majority of citizens expressed their vote _ is a solid base for strengthening the resistance of our citizens in the face of Russian attempts to divert Moldova from its European path.”
7. Presidency building
8. Parliament building
STORYLINE:
Moldovans in favour of securing the country’s path towards European Union membership have a razor-thin lead in a referendum vote, electoral data showed Monday, as the pro-Western president accused “criminal groups” of trying to undermine the vote.
After nearly 99% of votes were counted in the referendum held Sunday that asked voters to choose whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution a path toward the EU, the “Yes” vote crept into first place with 50.18% of a total 1.4 million ballots cast, according to the Central Electoral Commission.
More than 200,000 ballots cast among the country’s large diaspora tended to favour the EU path and were being counted overnight.
A loss would be a political disaster for the pro-Western government, which strongly supported the pro-EU campaign.
After about 90% of the votes were counted, President Maia Sandu accused criminal groups of working together with foreign forces hostile to Moldova’s national interests, of attacking the country with lies and propaganda.
She said Moldova had evidence that these criminal groups had aimed to buy 300,000 votes to undermine the democratic process.
The vote was held amid ongoing claims by Moldovan authorities that Moscow has intensified a “hybrid war” campaign to destabilize the country and derail its EU path.
The allegations include funding pro-Moscow opposition groups, spreading disinformation, meddling in local elections and backing a major vote-buying scheme.
In the presidential race that was held at the same time, Sandu won the first round with 42% of the vote in a field of 11, but failed to win an outright majority.
She will face Alexandr Stoianoglo, a Russia-friendly former prosecutor general who outperformed polls with around 26% of the vote, in a runoff on Nov. 3.
A pro-Western government has been in power in Moldova since 2021, a year after Sandu won the presidency.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/2eaa63c34bd64905928599e2dd956a8a
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in October 26, 2024, 12:04 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
