Batrincea Complains to Diplomatic Missions About the Reduction of Polling Stations in Transnistria

Deputy Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament Vlad Batrincea announced that he had sent a demarche to international organizations and diplomatic missions regarding the reduction of polling stations in Transnistria ahead of the parliamentary elections. “We have noticed a sharp reduction in the number of polling stations for citizens of the Transnistrian region: instead of 30-44 (as was the case in previous elections, including 30 in the 2024 presidential election), on 24 August 2025, the Central Election Commission approved only 12 stations,” said the PSRM deputy, quoted by noi.md. He noted that this decision “contradicts official data, according to which more than 275,000 voters are registered in the areas on the left bank of the Dniester,” emphasizing that ‘at the same time, 301 polling stations have been opened for the diaspora abroad, which indicates discrimination and a violation of the principle of equality before the law.” The deputy recalled that “the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and international treaties guarantee citizens’ right to free and equal elections, and national legislation and decisions of the Constitutional Court expressly prohibit the restriction of this right by administrative measures.” “This undermines the independence of electoral bodies and turns the process into a ‘mockery of democracy’,” he stressed. At the same time, Vlad Batrincea criticized the leadership of the Central Election Commission: “The leaders of the CEC have made public statements that smack of political bias, reinforcing the impression of a discriminatory decision. This undermines the independence of the electoral authorities and turns the process into a sham democracy.” In conclusion, he warned that “such actions undermine not only the internal legitimacy of the elections, but also Moldova’s international image as a state striving for democratic standards and integration into the European Union.”