People in Moldova have backed the Eastern European country's proposed changes to its constitution and commitment to joining the EU by the thinnest of margins in a referendum. Official data put Yes on 50.46% and No on 49.54% on Monday afternoon, with more than 99.6% of votes counted.

A referendum on Moldova joining the EU hung in the balance early Monday with almost all votes counted, as President Maia Sandu blamed an "unprecedented assault on our country's freedom and democracy" in a vote marred by fears of Russian meddling amid the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The European Union has condemned Russia's attempts to sway the outcome of the presidential election and the referendum on Moldova's European accession, promising to continue to support the country's democratic progress.