Moldovans voted by a razor-thin majority in favor of securing the country’s path toward European Union membership, electoral data showed Monday, after the pro-Western president accused foreign interference and “criminal groups” of trying to undermine the vote in the former Soviet republic.

Russia has been accused of offering cash for votes in Moldova to skew a referendum on joining the EU. The vote on Sunday to change Moldova’s constitution to join the EU was only passed by a paper-thin majority of 50.03 per cent, despite predictions of a comfortable victory.

Before the vote, Moldovan authorities said Ilan Shor, a fugitive tycoon who lives in Russia, had made concerted attempts to meddle in the referendum and election. The authorities said they had taken down online resources that hosted disinformation and had uncovered a programme in Russia to train Moldovans to take part in mass unrest.