Moldovan president urges citizens to join referendum on EU accession

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has called on citizens to participate in the referendum she initiated on joining the EU, regardless of whether they support this process or not.

"The referendum is not mine, it’s not for me. The referendum is for the entire people of the country. Each of you, all of us, on October 20, will say what we think, say where we want to go. Whether you support Moldova’s accession to the European Union or not, participate in the referendum," Sandu stated in a video address posted on the presidential administration's website, delivered in both Moldovan and Russian, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

She added that abstaining from voting demonstrates indifference to the future of the country.

At the end of 2023, Sandu announced her intention to run for a second term and proposed holding a referendum on Moldova's EU accession on the election day, with the results to be incorporated into the constitution. Opposition parties accused the president of using the plebiscite to halt her declining popularity amid a severe economic crisis and protests calling for the government’s resignation and early parliamentary elections. Critics of the president's initiative pointed out that negotiations with Brussels have not yet begun and the conditions for EU accession are still unknown to the public, which is supposed to make the decision. They also noted that by law, the referendum requires only one-third of the total number of voters for participation, allowing a decision on constitutional changes to be made by just 17% of the electorate.

In June 2022, Ukraine and Moldova were granted EU candidate status, with stringent conditions set for the start of accession negotiations, including reforms in the judiciary and anti-corruption efforts.