Russian interference casts shadow over Moldova election
Photos and recordings have surfaced online confirming Russian interference in the presidential elections in Moldova. These materials show crowds outside a polling station in Minsk, as well as organized groups of Moldovans living in Russia being transported to the voting site by supervisors.
10:24 AM EST, November 3, 2024
On Sunday, at 12:00 AM Eastern Time, polling stations in Moldova opened, allowing votes to be cast until 2:00 PM in the second round of the presidential elections. The incumbent president, Maia Sandu, and the former prosecutor general, Alexandr Stoianoglo, are competing for the highest office.
Since the morning, media outlets have been reporting on overseas voting, highlighting "organized transports" of Moldovans from Russia to the polling station in Minsk.
These reports are corroborated by photos and recordings appearing on social media. These visuals show, among other things, a crowd eager to vote in Minsk.
Russians want to influence the election results
Even before the second round of the presidential elections, authorities in Chișinău warned about the risk of Kremlin interference. They also cautioned about false bomb alarms in electoral committees in Western Europe.
One should also be prepared for "organized voting," which involves transporting groups of voters from Transnistria who are instructed to vote for Stoianoglo. A new element in these elections is the "free transports" for Moldovan citizens from Russia. Some of these voters are being brought to the country by bus from Istanbul, where flights from Russia land.
Minsk and Baku are other destinations, where "election flights" from Russia are also organized.
Source: PAP, X, WP Wiadomości
