President Maia Sandu said on Monday Moldovans had won a "first battle in a difficult fight" for their future, a day after a slim majority of 50.46% backed EU accession in a referendum that was clouded by allegations of Russia-backed meddling.

While the "yes" vote in Moldova's EU referendum clears the way for the country's path to the bloc, the slim margin of the win is not going to make things easy for pro-EU President Maia Sandu.

If no candidate wins a majority, a second round of voting will take place on Nov. 3. Incumbent President Maia Sandu will likely face off against her main competitor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, who captured approximately 28 percent of the vote in the first round.