REPORTING. “I was told I was going to lose everything”: in Moldova, the referendum on EU membership clashes with pro-Russians nostalgic for the Soviet era

Victor Chironda always makes the same joke when getting out of the van. “How many people do you think today?” asks the leader of the Citizens for Europe operation to his small troop. “I would say five inhabitants, maybe ten, but really not more”retorts a member of the group. Lost. When you push open the door of Milesti town hall this Thursday, October 17, at the end of the afternoon, there is a crowd. Already 23 curious people, and even 25 with the two latecomers, bundled up in their down jackets, eager to get warm. The village mayor himself seems overwhelmed. Petru Leuca had only installed around ten chairs in the reception hall, between the civil registry office and the football club trophies, thinking that that would be enough. “We’re changing rooms! Everyone upstairs, in the city council room!”, orders the city councilor.

As the referendum on Moldova’s membership of the European Union approaches, organized on Sunday October 20, at the same time as the first round of the presidential election, Victor Chironda and his team of volunteers decided to travel the 34 000 km2 of their country, and particularly the countryside, where nostalgia for the former USSR still grips hearts. In this former Soviet republic, closely monitored by the Kremlin and neighbor of Ukraine at war since the Russian invasion in February 2022, this double election is very high stakes.

On the ballot paper, the question asked of Moldovan voters is the following: “Are you in favor of an amendment to the Constitution regarding the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union?” In Milesti, a rural town of 2,300 inhabitants located 1.5 hours northwest of the capital Chisinau, integration into the EU arouses fear as much as hope.

Sitting in the second row, a man in his sixties quickly gets up. His dirt-stained pants give a clue to his profession. “I am a farmer and I ask myself a question: with Europe, where will my production go? I was told that I was going to lose everything and I am afraid of losing everything.” His neighbor on the left agrees: “The Europeans will buy back our land and we will no longer have work. No more.”

Victor Chironda answers the questions one after the other. At his side, if necessary, an economics specialist. For historical questions, Mihai Poiata comes as reinforcement. In the assembly, most recognized the mustache of the septuagenarian: he was one of the deputies who signed the declaration of independence of Moldova on August 27, 1991.

Within Citizens for Europe, no one claims to change anyone’s mind, and especially not in two hours. “The objective is at least to give the right figures, the right information, summarizes Mihai Poiata. It must be said: certain local elected officials, close to Russian power, make their fellow citizens, particularly those born during the USSR era, believe that everyone is against the EU. They relay fake news on social networks.

“How many times have I heard that we should put the LGBT flag on public buildings if we integrated Europe? It’s propaganda. If you don’t have the means to check, you believe it. “

Mihai Poiata, former Moldovan MP

at franceinfo

Grigore Gurjui, 74, is boiling inside. He toost born during the times of the Soviet Union. He too grew up under Brezhnev. Ewhat then? “I saw the advantages of Europe at the wheel of my truck, says the former truck driver. I delivered fruit to Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Germany, France… If people of my generation knew… If they saw the quality of the roads, if they saw how people are polite, they would immediately stop looking towards Russia.”

The small band of Citizens for Europe is not always welcome. “Let’s say that we sometimes have to fight to obtain the loan of a room, euphemizes the former parliamentarian. The town hall can help us, or not. She can put up posters, or not. She can relay the information to the population, or not. Some municipalities are doing the bare minimum…”

A few days ago, the volunteers drove 200 kilometers… for nothing. Arriving in the southeast of the country, in Stefan Voda, near the Ukrainian border, there were “zero inhabitants at the time of the meeting”. “Sorry, no one wanted to come.”stammered the mayor, according to the account of Victor Chironda, who did not take the councilor’s excuse at face value. “This elected official has never hidden his sympathy for the pro-Russian parties. So he doesn’t really care about our initiative.” The north of Moldova is not necessarily more welcoming.

“There is a reality: the further north we go, the more people are against Europe. Historically, these are people who have always traded with the Russians.”

Victor Chironda, member of Citizens for Europe

at franceinfo

A second Citizens for Europe team is preparing to take the road to the East, to Rezina, one of the last villages before Transnistria, a territory pro-Russian, which self-proclaimed its independence in 1991. “Well, good luck guys.”whispers a voice as we leave.

At Milesti town hall, discussions have been going on for an hour. One man doesn’t miss a beat: Giorge, one of the local leaders of a movement close to the Kremlin, the Sor party, named after an influential Moldovan oligarch, Ilan Sor. Voice of Moscow, targeted by Western sanctions, taking refuge in Russia, the businessman is accused of having bought the votes of 130,000 voters for Sunday’s double vote. The presence of its local representative raises fears that the situation will worsen. However, this will not be the case.

But it has already happened that the Citizens for Europe team has had to call the police to evacuate “disruptive elements”, “people who come just to provoke, to cause trouble in the assembly or to see who has come.”

Coincidence or not, several residents of Milesti provided the same reason for absence to their mayor: “Work in the fields.” Victor Chironda is not fooled: “In places, being seen in this kind of initiative can be risky. ÇIt may have consequences on your reputation in the village.”

“If your mayor is pro-Russian and you are seen talking about Europe, you can be labeled as an adversary. We must not neglect this fear. So some prefer to avoid showing themselves.”

Victor Wound

at franceinfo

The pro-Russians are also campaigning for this referendum, but with the aim of undermining participation. Car, pFor the result of the vote to be considered valid, the participation rate must reach 33%. However, this threshold is not guaranteed. Moldovan voters were 55.1% in favor of “yes” and 34.5% in favor of “no”, according to a survey revealed three days before the vote. ButAt the same time, 7.9% of those questioned said they had not yet made a decision, and 2.4% did not wish to answer.

A “no” victory would not be legally binding, but it would carry a neckp brake on the policy of the outgoing president, Maia Sandu, who based part of her electoral program on her country’s accession to the EU. “The pro-European camp hopes for a positive vote of 60 to 70% and a participation above 50%figures political expert Isac Mihai. But whatever the outcome, the Russian propaganda machine will attempt to delegitimize the ‘yes’ vote.”

The very media MP Marina Tauber, close to the Kremlin, confirmed this to franceinfo. His instructions for the referendum are in one word hammered to his supporters: “boycott”, “boycott”, “boycott”. During her thirty minutes of speaking, the parliamentarian never mentioned the name of Russia.