Moldova announced on Sunday that it was investigating the alleged setting up by Russia from “organized transport” to enable Moldovan nationals residing on its soil to take part in the second round of a presidential election crucial to the future of the former Soviet republic. “There is reasonable evidence of organized transportation of voters both abroad and within the country.”the police said in a statement.

“National authorities are conducting investigations to gather evidence about flights connecting Russia with Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.” to enable its residents to vote in Moldovan consulates or embassies in these countries, she added. The aim is to “preserve the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that every vote is cast freely, without undue pressure or influence”..

The pro-European president Maia Sanduwho is running for a second term, has repeatedly warned against foreign interference. “unprecedented”According to Chisinau, but also Brussels and Washington, this was the case with the massive vote-buying that marred the EU referendum on October 20. The Kremlin has “categorically” rejected these “serious” allegations.

“Massive interference by Russia”

On Sunday, the candidate once again called for mobilization in the face of “crooks” acting “in an organized manner. His national security advisor, Stanislav Secrieru, spoke on the social network X “massive Russian interference”.In the afternoon, long queues formed in front of polling stations in the Varnita municipality, reserved for residents of this region. AFP journalists observed long queues forming in the afternoon outside polling stations in the Varnita commune reserved for the region’s residents, against a backdrop of rising voter turnout.

The Russian state agency Tass reported spontaneous trips by Moldovans, who were prepared to fly several hours and spend their savings in order to vote. Some voters, interviewed by the official Belta news agency, claim to have come to Belarus because of voting restrictions in Russia, where only two polling stations are open. “Maia Sandu prevents us from voting normally, so we came to Minsk”said one of them, Sergei Rotaru. The outgoing head of state, a fervent pro-Western 52-year-old who turned her back on Moscow after the invasion of neighboring Ukraine, faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor backed by the pro-Russian socialists, in what promises to be a close election.