Presidential elections will be held in Moldova on Sunday. The main contenders for the presidency are the current leader of the country, Igor Dodon, who supports Russia, and the pro-Western politician Maia Sandu. – Traditionally, the topic of the elections will be geopolitics, i.e. the choice between Russia and the West – said Kamil Całus from the Center for Eastern Studies.
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Polling stations in Moldova will be open from 7-21, i.e. 8-22 Polish time.
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2,143 polling stations will be opened in the country. Outside Moldova – 139. As reported, around 60,000 people expressed their will to vote abroad – most of them in Italy, Great Britain, Germany and Russia. In total, according to the Central Election Commission, about 3.27 million people are entitled to vote.
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Presidential elections in Moldova
Eight candidates are taking part in the elections, among which the current president and informal leader of the Socialist Party (PRSM) Igor Dodon and former prime minister, leader of the pro-European Action and Solidarity (PAS) party Maia Sandu have the greatest chance of victory.
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In the previous election in 2016, Dodon defeated Sandu in the second round, gaining 52.16 percent of the vote.
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– The traditional topic of the elections in Moldova is geopolitics, and this time it was also impossible to avoid. There are two dominant political options and two candidates – the informal socialist leader Igor Dodon, who represents the pro-Russian option, and Maia Sandu, the former prime minister, leader of the Action and Solidarity Party, which is the face of the pro-Western option, said Całus. – They will most likely face each other for the second time in the second round of elections – he added.
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Dodon is perceived as a pro-Russian politician, with Całus stressing that his alliance with Russia is situational. – It is primarily self-oriented. This is not an ideological pro-Russian patriot who wants to implement the vision of the Russian world in Moldova, the expert pointed out.
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– The former prime minister Maia Sandu is a different case. It represents the pro-Western option, and is also known and well perceived in the West, he stressed.
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