Chisinau, Oct 20 (EFE).- Polling stations in Moldova opened on Sunday for the country’s presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on membership of the European Union (EU).
Around 3 million voters in the former Soviet republic, including hundreds of thousands living overseas, began voting at 7 am until polling booths close at 9 pm.
The voters will receive two ballots with different colors.
The ballot on the referendum will ask if the voter supports the constitutional amendment for the entry of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union.
If the majority of the voters choose Yes, provided more than a third of the electorate vote, the preamble to the constitution will include Moldovans’ aspiration to join the EU, a goal that Chisinau hopes to achieve by 2030.
According to polls, more than 50 percent support joining the bloc and a third are opposed, while the rest are undecided.
In fact, only a minority of Moldovans – like the communists – are categorically against joining, since the rest simply do not want to completely break ties with Russia.
The current president, liberal Maia Sandu, has proposed the referendum, for which she has received support from Brussels, especially to counter Russian interference.
Voters will also receive a second ballot with 11 presidential candidates, among whom Sandu is the favorite for re-election.
Polls indicate that Sandu, who has been in power since 2020, will win the election but will most likely not achieve an absolute majority, so she will have to seek re-election in a runoff round in a few weeks.
Alexandr Stoianoglo, the candidate of the pro-Russian Socialist Party, is tipped to contest for the second place against Renato Usatii, former mayor of the country’s second largest city.
Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has alleged an unprecedented influence of Russia in the electoral campaign, including propaganda, disinformation, hoaxes and cyberattacks.
Neither the inhabitants of the separatist republic of Transnistria nor the pro-Russian autonomous region of Gagauzia, both of which are theoretically opposed to European integration and which have a total population of around 600,000, will take part in the vote. EFE
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