Moldova faces Russian protest over blocked election observers
The Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation, Lilian Darie, was summoned today, November 6, to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where officials expressed a formal protest over the Moldovan authorities’ refusal to accredit several Russian observers for the presidential elections and constitutional referendum.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chișinău confirmed the summons, explaining that the decision to deny accreditation was due to an incompatibility between the professional status of the unaccredited individuals and the requirements for international observers.
According to Russian diplomatic sources, five international observers from Russia were denied accreditation ahead of the first round of elections on October 20, and three members of the OSCE mission were stopped at Chișinău Airport before the second round on November 3. Moscow considers these actions a breach of Moldova's international commitments, citing the Copenhagen Document and the CIS Convention on standards for democratic elections.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has filed an official complaint with the OSCE, seeking clarification on the incident.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
