The Russian Ambassador was once again summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was once again handed a protest note.
The reason for the démarche was not another unidentified flying object in the form of a drone that had entered our airspace from Ukraine, as is usually the case. This time, a more serious reason was found – the organization of elections in Transnistria.
In the region, where over 220,000 Russian citizens reside, it is planned to open 16 polling stations for elections to the State Duma, while on the right bank, the regime allowed only one to be opened – and that only on the premises of the embassy itself.
The opening of polling stations on territory not controlled by Chișinău was called unacceptable by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Minister Mihai Popșoi stated that any polling station opened without the consent of the constitutional authorities would be regarded as an “unfriendly act.”
He may be legally right in some respects. But on the other hand, can obstructing citizens of another state in exercising their voting rights be considered a friendly act? After all, it is obvious that the single polling station in Chișinău cannot accommodate tens of thousands of voters from the left bank.
Russia opens polling stations in Transnistria during every electoral campaign. In the previous elections, about 60,000 voters participated. It is expected that this time, due to the increase in the number of Russian passport holders, there will be even more.
The PAS regime in 2024 and 2025 restricted the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of its own citizens by opening only two polling stations across the entire vast territory of Russia. The huge queues in Moscow back then were a disgrace to the Moldovan state and a clear testament to the unfairness of the elections.
Now Popșoi has decided to use the elections in Russia itself to escalate a negative information flow and stoke anti-Russian sentiments. It is clear that Russia will not, at his behest, restrict the rights of its citizens, and the voting will take place as it has before.
