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Chisinau Calls Russian Duma Polling Stations in Transnistria a Violation of Moldova’s Sovereignty
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Elections & Politics

Chisinau Calls Russian Duma Polling Stations in Transnistria a Violation of Moldova’s Sovereignty

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Moldova’s Foreign Ministry said Russia’s plan to open 16 additional State Duma polling stations in Transnistria without Chisinau’s consent violates Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
  • Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky said 17 polling stations would operate in the region, which he said has 220,000 Russian citizens.
  • Moldova said it recognizes foreign citizens’ right to vote but requires election processes organized on its territory to receive prior approval from constitutional authorities.

Moldova has condemned Russia’s plan to open 16 additional polling stations for State Duma elections in Transnistria, saying the move would take place without the consent of the country’s constitutional authorities.

The Foreign Ministry responded after Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky said 17 polling stations would be opened in the unrecognized region for Russia’s September elections. Moldova’s Reintegrations Bureau said opening the stations without approval would be illegal on Moldovan territory.

Chisinau said it accepts that foreign citizens living in Moldova may participate in elections organized by their countries. It insists, however, that such voting must respect Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Foreign election processes held inside the country, the ministry said, must be agreed in advance with constitutional authorities in Chisinau.

Russia’s intention to open 16 more polling stations in the Transnistrian region for elections to the Russian State Duma without the consent of Moldova’s constitutional authorities is unacceptable.

— Moldova’s Foreign MinistryThe ministry criticized Russia’s plan to add polling stations in Transnistria.

The ministry added that Russia’s embassy in Moldova had coordinated the opening of one polling station in Chisinau with Moldovan authorities. Against that arrangement, it described the proposed 16 additional stations in Transnistria as “unacceptable” and a violation of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Krasnoselsky has said that 220,000 Russian citizens live in the region. The dispute also follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree simplifying access to Russian citizenship for Transnistria’s residents, which President Maia Sandu previously described as a measure to mobilize people for the war against Ukraine.

This right must be exercised with full respect for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Election processes organized by foreign states on the country’s territory must be agreed in advance with the constitutional authorities in Chisinau.

— Moldova’s Foreign MinistryThe ministry explained the conditions it says apply to foreign elections held in Moldova.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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