However, Moldovan authorities would open five polling stations in Russia. On September 29, the Central Electoral Commission partially accepted a request by the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM).
According to the approved decision, Moldovans in the Russian Federation can vote in the presidential elections and the referendum on October 20 at two polling stations open in Moscow and one each in St. Petersburg, Surgut, and Yaroslavl. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will decide within two days after the CEC’s decision, and diplomats will set up the polling stations’ electoral bureaus within three days.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service told Realitatea that officials are still considering the issue.
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The opening of polling stations in the Russian Federation has sparked a real scandal and misinformation in the public space. Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova manipulated the pre-registration data, claiming Moldovans registered in Italy to vote than in Russia.
Socialists used Maria Zakharova’s arguments in their court case asking the CEC to open more polling stations in Russia, but the court rejected their complaint.
It later emerged that only two polling stations would be opened in the Russian Federation in Moscow for security reasons.