Moldovans are voting in an important presidential runoff. But voter fraud threatens democracy

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) – Moldovan historian and politician Octavian Ticu Remembers when the Soviet Union was He collapsed in the early 1990s and a seismic event enabled him to become one of the first amateur boxers to compete for his country in the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of his sport.

“It was a happy moment for me,” the 52-year-old actor recalls, clenching his fists in a boxing gym in the capital Chisinau. “I participated in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. … I would never have been able to achieve this if I had been in the Soviet Union.”

But today, more than thirty years after the declaration of independence, moldova Ticu, who competes in the lightweight division, told The Associated Press that he was targeted by Russia in a mixed propaganda and disinformation war that “caused confusion.”

Like Ukraine and Georgia, former Soviet republics also aspire to join the EU. European Union But he’s always caught in a trap Geopolitical conflict between Moscow and the West.

“Russian propaganda is a reality of 30 years of independence,” added Ticu, who has written many books on his country’s history.

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This story, supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, is part of The Associated Press’s ongoing series covering threats to democracy in Europe.

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In the national referendum held on October 20, Moldovans voted in favor by a razor-thin majority of 50.35 percent. Securing the path to EU membership. However, the result was overshadowed by allegations of a Moscow-backed vote-buying scheme.

One Presidential election was held on the same dayIncumbent pro-Western President Maia Sandu received 42 percent of the vote but fell short of an outright majority. On Sunday, he will again face Russia-friendly former attorney general Alexandr Stoianoglo in a runoff election seen as a choice between geopolitical oppositions.

As in the EU referendum, a poll published this week by research firm iData points to a tight race heading for a narrow Sandu victory on Sunday; this result may be due to Moldova’s large diaspora.

The presidential role has significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security.

After two votes in October, Moldovan law enforcement said the vote-buying scheme was orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch who now lives in Russia. Convicted in absentia in 2023 It’s about fraud and money laundering. Between September and October, voters were paid $39 million to more than 130,000 recipients through an internationally sanctioned Russian bank, prosecutors say. Shor denies any wrongdoing.

“These people who came to Moscow with huge sums of money from the so-called government-in-exile of Ilan Shor are left to roam freely,” said Ticu, who is running as a distant candidate in the elections. presidential race.

Ticu added that it was “clear” that the votes “will not be fair or democratic.” Among the 11 candidates in the first round, he was the only one to support Sandu in the second round.

Voters from Transnistria, Moldova’s Kremlin-friendly separatist region that declared independence after a short war in the early 1990s, can vote in Moldova. Transnistria one source of tension during the war It is in neighboring Ukraine, especially because it hosts a military base with 1,500 Russian soldiers.

Ticu warned if Russian troops in Ukraine reach the border port city Odessa“They may join the Transnistria region and then the Republic of Moldova will be occupied.”

In Moldova’s autonomous region of Gagauzia, where only 5% voted in favor of the EU, a doctor was detained for allegedly forcing 25 residents of a home for older adults to vote for a candidate they did not choose. Police said they had obtained “conclusive evidence”, including financial transfers from the same sanctioned Russian bank.

Anti-corruption authorities conducted hundreds of searches and seized more than $2.7 million (2.5 million euros) in cash.

Prosecutors on Thursday raided the headquarters of a political party and said 12 people were suspected of paying voters to choose a candidate in the presidential race. A criminal case was also opened in which 40 employees of state institutions were suspected of receiving election bribes.

The results in both races revealed that, instead of gaining the overwhelming support Sandu had hoped for, the Moldovan judiciary had failed to adequately protect the judiciary. democratic process. This also allowed some pro-Moscow opposition to question the validity of the votes.

Socialist Party leader and former president Igor Dodon, who has close ties to Russia, said this week that “we do not recognize” the referendum result and described Sandu as a “dictator in a skirt” who will “do whatever it takes.” To stay in power.”