Moldovans flock to vote in key tests on EU future

CHISINAU: Moldovans voted on Sunday in a presidential election and a referendum on joining the European Union, some troubled by fears of Russian meddling amid the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The elections are a test of the former Soviet republic´s pro-European turn under incumbent President Maia Sandu, who is seeking a second term.

Police made hundreds of arrests after discovering a massive vote-buying scheme. This week, they warned that up to a quarter of the ballots cast in the country of 2.6 million could be tainted by Russian cash.

Sandu, who beat a Moscow-backed incumbent in 2020, cut ties with Moscow and applied for Moldova to join the EU following Russia´s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

She has repeatedly sounded the alarm about Russian efforts to interfere in the vote -- a claim Moscow has rejected.

Washington issued a fresh warning this week about suspected Russian interference, while the EU passed new sanctions on several Moldovans.

“I have come to cast my vote for prosperity, peace and wellbeing in our country,” said Olga Cernega, a 60-year-old economist in the capital Chisinau.