Popsoi on Voting in Israel and Russia: Our Priority Is the Safety of Citizens

The authorities of the Republic of Moldova will open polling stations abroad for the autumn parliamentary elections only if the electoral process does not pose a threat to the safety of citizens. The statement was made by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi, who mentioned the possible organization of voting in Israel and the Russian Federation. According to him, the authorities’ priority is the safety of citizens, reports ipn.md. Mihai Popsoi stated that in the case of Israel, the decision regarding the organization of the voting process for the September 28 elections will be made depending on how the situation on the ground develops. “The situation in Israel has been tense since the foundation of the state. Right now, it is clearly in a heightened phase. We sincerely hope that the situation will improve by then. If that is not possible due to security concerns, then obviously we will not put people in danger. But if the situation improves, we will make efforts to ensure that our citizens are able to vote. If the situation is such that we physically cannot do so, we will have to adapt to the realities on the ground,” the minister said during the “Pe Față” program on the public television channel. At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that in the case of the Russian Federation, the decision to organize polling stations will be made after a thorough risk assessment. “We will discuss with our colleagues from the Central Electoral Commission what the circumstances are. Has anything changed since the last elections or not, so that we can ensure the safety of both our citizens and the voting process. We are seeing an increase in cases where our citizens are stopped, detained, or face various obstacles when trying to enter Russia. Our priority is the safety of our citizens. We will proceed based on this objective and make a decision at the appropriate time,” Mihai Popsoi clarified. For the 2024 presidential election and referendum, only two polling stations were opened in the Russian Federation – both located in the building of the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow. Initially, the CEC had planned to open five polling stations in Russia, but later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended limiting the number to two for security reasons.