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Voting has started in Moldova’s parliamentary elections, the results of which could be decisive for maintaining the country’s pro-Western trajectory.
This was reported by Newsmaker.
On September 28 at 7:00 a.m., polling stations opened across Moldova and will remain open until 9:00 p.m.; for overseas polling stations in Asia, voting began earlier, local time.
Moldovan citizens are electing 101 deputies for a four-year term. Fourteen parties, four electoral blocs, and four independent candidates are participating. The threshold for parties is 5%, for blocs 7%, and for independent candidates 2%.
For the first time, postal voting is available for Moldovan citizens in 10 countries. In total, there are 301 polling stations abroad across 41 countries. Previous elections showed that the majority of the Moldovan diaspora supports the country’s pro-Western course, making these votes extremely important for the ruling party, Action and Solidarity.
For citizens from Transnistria, who mostly support pro-Russian forces, 12 polling stations opened on the right bank of the Dniester. The locations of several of these stations were changed at the last minute for “security reasons,” effectively complicating access.
Prior to the elections, the authorities of unrecognized Transnistria also accused Chisinau of a “provocation” related to repairs on all seven bridges over the Dniester, which could further hinder voter access.
Meanwhile, President Maia Sandu and the government have long warned of large-scale attempts by Russia to influence the elections, aiming to bring “friendly” forces to power and derail Moldova’s European integration.
Bloomberg learned of a Russian plan to influence the elections in Moldova. The BBC published an investigation on disinformation in Moldova before the elections funded by Russia, and Reuters reported on how Orthodox priests from Moldova were systematically invited on lavish pilgrimages to Moscow and then offered money in exchange for propaganda promoting Kremlin interests among their parishioners.
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