Moldova’s pro-western president, Maia Sandu, blamed an “unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy” by “foreign forces” on Sunday night, as a pivotal referendum on EU membership remained too close to call with most votes counted.
Moldovans went to the polls earlier in the day to cast their vote in a presidential election and an EU referendum that marked a key moment in the tug-of-war between Russia and the west over the future of the small, landlocked south-east European country with a population of about 2.5 million people.
With almost 84% of the vote counted, the no vote was ahead on 53%, according to data shared by Moldova’s electoral commission. But the results could yet change as votes are still being counted among the large Moldovan diaspora, which is favourable to joining the EU.
The separate presidential election results showed that incumbent president Sandu topped the first round of the vote with about 38%, but she will now face her closest competitor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor backed by the pro-Russian Socialists, in the second round.
Russian medling aside, i don’t get how can people leave a decision like this to a 51%-wins vote instead a 2/3s.
Majority rules. The decision is often should we change or not, so a 51% favourability toward change should not be denied because there is a 49% favourability toward not. If you refuse to side with the majority because it is too close, you side with the minority.
The same can be said for brexit which had a 51.9% vote to leaving.
Yep, both entering and leaving the EU are categoric decisions and imo should be (have been) treated with a 2/3s majority.
I read an ellection that is resolved with a 50/50 votes as the ellectorate not caring about the result.