CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldovans are voting Sunday in a presidential runoff that pits pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu against a Russia-friendly opponent as allegations of fraud and voter intimidation continue. threatens democracy in the European Union candidate country.

In the first round took place on October 20Sandu obtained 42% of the ballots but failed to win an outright majority. She will face Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former attorney general, who topped the polls in the first round with nearly 26% of the vote.

Polling stations opened at 7am local time (05:00 GMT) on Sunday and will close at 21:00 (19:00 GMT).

A poll published by research company iData points to a tight race tipping towards a narrow Sandu victory, a result that could be based on Moldova’s large diaspora. The presidential role has significant powers in areas such as foreign policy and national security and has a four-year term.

The Moldovan diaspora played a key role in a nationwide referendum, also held on October 20, when a narrow majority of 50.35% voted to secure Moldova’s path to EU membership. But the results of the polls, including Sunday’s vote, were overshadowed by allegations of a major vote-buying scheme and voter intimidation.

Instead of winning the overwhelming support Sandu had hoped for, the results in both races revealed Moldova’s judiciary as unable to adequately protect democratic process.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Friday that people across the country had received “anonymous death threats via phone calls” in what he called an “extreme attack” to scare voters in the former Soviet republic, which has a population of approximately 2.5 million inhabitants. people.

“These acts of intimidation have only one goal: to create panic and fear,” Recean said in a statement posted on social media. “I assure you that state institutions will ensure order and protect citizens.”

On Sunday, in front of a polling station in the capital of Romania, Bucharest, 20-year-old medical student Silviana Zestrea said that the tour will be a “definitive step” towards the future of the Republic of Moldova.

“People need to understand that we need to elect a real candidate who will meet our expectations,” she said. “Because I think even though we’re a diaspora now, none of us wanted to leave.”

Following the two October votes, Moldovan law enforcement officials said a vote-buying scheme was orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch who lives in Russia and was convicted in absentia last year of fraud and money laundering. Shor denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say $39 million was paid to voters to more than 130,000 beneficiaries through an internationally sanctioned Russian bank between September and October. Anti-corruption authorities carried out hundreds of raids and seized more than $2.7 million (€2.5 million) in cash as they tried to crack down.

In one case in Gagauzia, an autonomous part of Moldova where only 5% voted in favor of the EU, a doctor was detained after allegedly forcing 25 residents of a home for elderly adults to vote for a candidate he they didn’t choose him. Police said they had obtained “conclusive evidence”, including financial transfers from the same Russian bank.

On Saturday, at a church in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, Father Vasilii told The Associated Press that he urged people to vote because it was a “civic obligation” and that they were not naming any candidates. “We use the goods that the country gives us – light, gas,” he said. “Whether we like what the government is doing or not, we have to go and vote. … The Church always prays for peace.”

On Thursday, prosecutors also raided the headquarters of a political party and said 12 people are suspected of paying voters to choose a candidate in the presidential race. Also, a criminal case was opened in which 40 employees of state agencies were suspected of taking electoral bribes.

Cristian Cantir, an associate professor of international relations from Moldova at Oakland University, told the AP that regardless of the outcome of the second round, it “will not deflate” geopolitical tensions. “On the contrary, I expect geopolitical polarization to be amplified by the campaign for the 2025 legislative elections,” he said.

Law enforcement in the Republic of Moldova needs more resources and better trained personnel working at a faster pace to combat voter fraud, he added, to “create an environment where anyone is tempted to buy or sell votes to know that there will be clear and swift consequences”.

Savlina Adasan, a 21-year-old economics student from Bucharest, says she voted for Sandu and cited concerns about corruption and uninformed voters about the two candidates.

“We want a European future for our country,” she said, adding that it offers “a lot of opportunities, development for our country … and I feel that if the other candidate wins, then it means that we will take ten steps backwards as a country. .”

A pro-Western government has been in power in Moldova since 2021, and parliamentary elections will be held in 2025. Observers of the Republic of Moldova warn that next year’s vote could be Moscow’s main target.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied for EU membership. It was granted candidate status in June of that year, and in the summer of 2024, Brussels agreed to start accession negotiations. The sudden shift to the west angered Moscow and significantly worsened relations with Chisinau.

Since then, Moldovan authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of waging a vast “hybrid war,” from extensive disinformation campaigns to pro-Russia party protests to vote-buying schemes that undermine national elections. Russia has denied meddling.

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Stephen McGrath reported from Bucharest, Romania; Nicolae Dumitrache from Comrat, Moldova.