CHISINAU, Sept 19 (Reuters) – Russia’s parliamentary election has triggered a diplomatic row with Moldova over its objections to the Kremlin’s plan to open 15 polling stations for Russian nationals in the separatist Transdniestria Region.
Moscow says 220,000 residents of pro-Russian Transdniestria, a sliver of land which broke away from Moldova in 1990 at the end of Soviet rule, hold Russian passports and are entitled to vote on Sunday in the election for the State Duma.
Moldova’s pro-Western government, which wants to join the European Union by 2030 and denounces the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, says Russians may vote only in a single polling station in the Russian embassy in the capital Chisinau.
It contests the 220,000 figure and opposes any polling station in Transdniestria, where it has no control over procedures.
Moldovan authorities this week denounced the Kremlin’s 15 planned polling stations as “unacceptable and hostile” and summoned Russian ambassador Oleg Ozerov to the Foreign Ministry.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova retorted by urging Moldova to drop its objections and halt actions that “run against democracy, international law and common sense”.
Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihail Popsoi told Moscow “not to interfere with Moldova’s plans for peaceful reintegration” of the breakaway territory.
In Russia’s last parliamentary election in 2021, authorities in Moscow opened 27 polling stations in the region and more than 59,000 voters cast ballots – with 76.2% backing the United Russia party which supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Transdniestria is not internationally recognised, not even by Moscow, though a Russian military contingent of some 1,500 troops, which Russia sometimes describes as peacekeepers, remains stationed there despite demands from Moldova for them to leave.
(Reporting by Alexander Tanas, writing by Ron Popeski, Kirsten Donovan)
