Moldova votes in presidential elections and referendum on joining the EU”/>
Presidential elections began in Moldova simultaneously with the referendum on joining the EU. At 07:00, 1,987 polling stations open in the country, about which the Central Election Commission is currently receiving notifications from the chairmen of election bureaus, commission spokeswoman Rodica Sirbu told TASS, Day.Az reports.
Eleven candidates will compete for the presidency this year. Opinion polls call incumbent President Maia Sandu the favorite in the election race, with relations between Chisinau and Moscow at their worst. Her main opponent is former Prosecutor General Alexander Stoianoglo, who states that Sandu’s policies are contrary to the interests of Moldova and speaks out in favor of restoring ties with the Russian Federation.
The issue of supplementing the Constitution of Moldova with provisions on the irreversibility of the European course is also being put to a vote. As observers note, the plebiscite is intended to help Sandu get re-elected for a second term against the backdrop of the economic crisis and opposition protests.
The elections will be monitored by more than 2 thousand observers, including representatives of the OSCE and some other organizations, as well as foreign diplomats.
A total of 231 polling stations will be open in 37 countries for these elections. And Moldovan voters in the USA, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland also had the opportunity to vote by mail for the first time.
Voting ends at 21:00. Elections and referendums will be considered valid if one third of voters take part in them. The CEC usually announces the first preliminary results within a few hours after the end of voting. The winner of the presidential election will be the candidate who receives at least half of the votes. If this does not happen, then a second round will be organized in two weeks, in which the two candidates will meet.