Moldova has narrowly backed a move for closer ties to the EU in a referendum, electoral authorities say. The yes campaign won the vote with a margin of less than a per cent - just a few thousand votes. The referendum asked voters to choose whether to enshrine a path towards European Union membership in the country's constitution.

Moldovans were evenly split on Monday amid final counting in a geopolitically momentous referendum on European Union accession with 50.08% in favor and 49.92% against, electoral authorities said.

Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan said the vote “represents a victory for the people of the Republic of Moldova and a defeat for Russia.”