Moldovan president seems on track to win first polls, EU vote could be rejected

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu leaves after delivering a speech during a press briefing after the polls closed for the presidential election and the referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country’s path to European Union membership (Vadim Ghirda/AP)

Moldova’s pro-Western president looks set to win the first round of a presidential race but has accused “criminal groups” of undermining a referendum on European Union membership.

Nearly 95% of votes were counted in the EU referendum that asked voters to choose whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution a path toward the EU. About 52% of a total of 1.2 million ballots voted “no,” while 47% voted “Yes.”