Moldovan citizens living in Transnistria and wishing to participate in the presidential elections face the problem of restrictions on freedom of movement. The head of the Pridnestrovia delegation to the Joint Control Commission (JCC is the joint management body of the peacekeeping operation in the Dniester), Oleg Belyakov, stated that these are decisive actions of Chisinau.
Let us remind that residents of the region can exercise their right to vote in 30 polling stations opened by the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova, located in the Security Zone, in settlements under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Moldova.
Since the morning, huge queues have built up on the Rybnitsa-Rezina bridge, at the entrance to Moldova. Moldovan police stop all cars for inspection. At the Kamenka-Senatovka bridge there is a long queue towards the Republic of Moldova. There are also problems entering the Slobodzeya district (Krasnoe-Raskaytsy checkpoint).
It is said that the police simply turn around cars in Transnistria, supposedly because they have found small defects: out of headlights, broken glass, etc. Furthermore, Moldovan police officers do not allow Transnistrian citizens to enter the checkpoint, calling them an organized group.
“This is really an obstacle to the transition to the other side of the Dniester for residents of Transnistria who have expressed their desire to vote in the elections in Moldova. We insist on the departure of the military observers, as I said, the military commander is already there. We will have a definitive image after receiving the minutes of everything that is happening.” — explained Oleg Beliakov.
About 16,000 Transnistrian residents took part in the first round of voting. Then, of 11 candidates from the region, the leader was the former Attorney General Alejandro Stoianoglo35.4% voted for him. The current president obtained the support of 25.2%, the former head of Gagauzia came in third place Irina Vlah of 15.7%. Taking this trend into account, Stoianoglo will have the advantage here in the second round. The authorities in Chisinau fear this and hinder the access of the protest electorate to the polling stations by all means.
A similar situation occurred in the 2020 presidential elections. At that time there were several clashes in the area. Supporters Sandú of the now ruling Action and Solidarity party insulted the voters of Transnistria, physically trying to prevent them from going to the polls. The Moldovan police were then inactive.
As reported EADailyBefore the second round of the presidential elections, the Moldovan delegation at the JCC demanded that Tiraspol guarantee the freedom of movement of citizens and election officials in the Security Zone. This despite the fact that previously the president of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky He assured that the authorities of the republic will not prevent its citizens from participating in the electoral processes of neighboring Moldova. He then emphasized that the PMR expects from the winner of the presidential race “the capacity for dialogue and the desire for peace.”
