For the presidential elections in Moldova and the EU accession referendum, only two polling stations may operate in Russia instead of the originally planned five. Pavel Postica, the Vice President of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), provided this clarification during the “În Profunzime” program on ProTV. He noted that Chisinau authorities had previously proposed this measure based on recommendations from the Information and Security Service.
According to Postica’s statements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referenced the security situation in light of the Russia-Ukraine war and suggested that it could ensure safety for voters and electoral staff only at the embassy in Moscow. However, CEC members insisted on opening polling stations in Surgut, Yaroslavl, and Saint Petersburg, far from the Russian capital.
“We received an advisory from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based on a report from the Security and Intelligence Service, stating that they cannot guarantee the safety of electoral officials and voters in several regions of the Russian Federation, except at the diplomatic mission’s location, and they proposed to open only two polling stations in Moscow. (…) We thoroughly analyzed the situation and, together with the CEC members, decided to open at least five polling stations, including in Surgut, Yaroslavl, and Saint Petersburg,” the official reported.
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Later, the representatives of the CEC learned from the Electoral District Council that only two polling offices had become operational.
“The unfortunate news is that our colleagues from the Electoral District Council recently informed us about their decision regarding the polling stations abroad. They are still insisting on opening only two polling stations in the Russian Federation, and only these two polling offices have become functional,” Postica concluded.
We clarify that the number of polling stations in Russia has become a manipulation for officials in Moscow and pro-Russian politicians in Chisinau. For instance, Maria Zakharova distorted information regarding the number of pre-registrations, claiming that more polling stations were opened in Italy than in the Russian Federation, even though fewer Moldovans in Italy expressed their intention to participate in the election.