Polling stations open in Moldova for presidential elections and EU referendum

Chisinau, October 20 (EFE). – Polling stations in Moldova opened on Sunday for the country’s presidential election and a constitutional referendum on European Union (EU) membership.

Around three million voters in the former Soviet republic, including hundreds of thousands abroad, began voting at 7 a.m. until polling stations closed at 9 p.m.

Voters receive two ballot papers with different colors.

The referendum vote asks whether the voter supports the constitutional amendment for Moldova’s accession to the European Union.

If the majority of voters choose “yes” and more than a third of the electorate votes, the preamble to the constitution will list Moldovans’ desire to join the EU, a goal that Chisinau aims to achieve by 2030.

Polls show that more than 50 percent support joining, a third are against it, while the rest are undecided.

In fact, only a minority of Moldovans – such as the communists – are categorically against joining, as the rest simply do not want to completely break off relations with Russia.

The current president, the liberal Maia Sandu, proposed the referendum, for which she received support from Brussels, in particular to counter Russian interference.

Voters also get a second round of 11 presidential candidates, with Sandu the favorite for re-election.

Polls suggest Sandu, in power since 2020, will win the election but is unlikely to win an absolute majority, forcing her to seek re-election in a runoff in a few weeks.

Alexandr Stoianoglo, the candidate of the pro-Russian Socialist Party, is expected to compete for the second place against Renato Usatii, the former mayor of the country’s second-largest city.

Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has claimed unprecedented Russian influence on the election campaign, including propaganda, disinformation, hoaxes and cyberattacks.

Neither the residents of the separatist republic of Transnistria nor the pro-Russian autonomous region of Gagauzia, both of which are theoretically opposed to European integration and have a total population of around 600,000, will take part in the vote. EFE

mos/pd