Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu was set for a first-round victory in Sunday’s contest, but her bid to secure further support with a referendum on joining the European Union unexpectedly hung by a thread. A vote on accession – a move that could cement Sandu’s westward tilt and bolster her effort to pry the country from the Kremlin’s grip – remained too close to call early Monday. That defied polls showing a consistent majority of voters in support of becoming an EU member. Sandu took aim at what she called an “unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy” as authorities said Moscow had aimed to undermine support. That included alleged attempts to buy off some 300,000 votes – “a fraud of unprecedented scale,” Sandu said. Ballots were still being counted – primarily from Moldovans voting abroad, a group that overwhelmingly supports Sandu’s aims.
— Samuel Stolton