Moldovans will vote today in presidential elections and a referendum on the European Union. Concerns are high about Russian interference in the two key electoral tests amid the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
The elections are a test of the former Soviet republic's pro-European turn under current President Maya Sandu, who is seeking a second term in the country of 2.6 million people.
Police have made hundreds of arrests after uncovering a massive vote-buying scheme. Authorities warned this week that up to a quarter of ballots cast could be influenced by Russian money.
"Our country is at a crossroads ... A group of thieves are trying to deceive people, promising them money, giving them false information," Prime Minister Dorin Rechan said, urging Moldovans to "be vigilant."
Sandu, who defeated a Moscow-backed candidate in 2020, cut the country's ties with Moscow and applied for Moldova to join the EU after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
It has repeatedly sounded the alarm about Russian efforts to interfere in the vote, a claim Moscow rejects.
This week, Washington also issued a new warning, and the EU imposed sanctions on several Moldovan nationals.
Sandhu, 52, a former World Bank economist, is the clear favorite in the race. According to the latest polls by the WatchDog think tank, with only 35.8 percent support from voters, she will not be able to achieve the result needed to avoid a runoff on November 3.
Among her ten rivals is Alexander Stoyanovgl, a 57-year-old former prosecutor backed by pro-Russian socialists, who is likely to get around 9 percent of the vote.
Renato Usatii, a 45-year-old former mayor of Moldova's second largest city Balti, is projected to win 6.4 percent.
Polling stations open at 7:00 am local time (07:00 BST) and close at 9:00 pm. Partial results are expected around 22:00.
For the referendum, 55.1 percent of respondents said they would vote "yes" and 34.5 percent said "no".
The referendum asks whether the constitution should be changed to include EU accession as a key objective. In June this year, the 27-member bloc began membership talks with Chisinau.
For the results to be valid, turnout must reach at least 33%. Some pro-Russian parties have agitated for a boycott.
"Moldova's future will depend on what the people choose... I hope we will take decisive steps towards the European Union," accountant Lidia Ceban told AFP.
Sandu is touring the country to explain that joining the EU will help improve life in one of Europe's poorest countries.
"The fate of our country for many decades to come depends on this (Sunday's) decision," Sandhu said at an election event.
Sandhu's critics say she has not done enough to fight inflation and reform the judiciary.
In his campaign, Stoyanoglo - who was fired as prosecutor by Sandu - called for "restoring justice" and Usatiye said he was the best choice because he was "the only one who is not controlled by either the East or the West."
Fears of Russian interference are growing.
Millions of dollars from Russia to corrupt voters have been funneled into the country by people linked to Ilan Shore, a fugitive businessman and former politician, police said earlier this month.
According to police, this "unprecedented" scheme could taint up to 300,000 ballots.
Convicted in absentia last year of fraud, Schor regularly accuses Moldova of being a "police state" and a "compliant puppet" of the West.
"Russia is working hard. They have never put so much money in before," said Armand Gossou, a Romanian historian who specializes in Russia and the former Soviet space.
In addition to vote-buying, hundreds of young people have been found to have been trained in Russia and the Balkans to create "mass disorder" in Moldova, including in tactics to provoke law enforcement. I BGNES
