Russia is asking the authorities in Chisinau to open polling stations in Moldova for the March 15-17 presidential election. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration told for Radio Moldova that the request is under consideration and an answer will be presented within a reasonable timeframe. Regarding the elections on the left bank of the Nistru River, spokesman Igor Zaharov emphasized that “the Republic of Moldova has never given its consent to open polling stations in localities not controlled by constitutional authorities.”
The Kyiv authorities have said that they will not recognize voting in Russia’s presidential election in the annexed territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson regions, as well as in Crimea, calling on the international community to impose sanctions on those involved in its organization.
Russian authorities recently said that consulates in some countries deemed “unfriendly” by the Kremlin may not open polling stations in Russia’s upcoming elections. They include 49 countries that condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
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Vladimir Putin has announced he will run for another term in the 2024 presidential election. He has been in power in Russia since 1999 and intends to run for a fifth term.
In Russia’s previous presidential election in 2018, 400 polling stations were opened in consulates in 145 countries. Almost 450,000 people voted abroad, most of whom were supporters of Putin. More polling stations were then opened on the left bank of the Dniester River, where nearly 74,000 Russian citizens from that region voted, although Russia claimed 220,000 citizens.
For the July 2021 State Duma elections, the Russian Federation opened 30 polling stations in Moldova. Most of them, 27, were opened on the left bank of the Nistru River, the largest number of polling stations opened in another country.