Moldovan citizens abroad prepare to vote
As of now, 11,716 citizens from 5,426 cities worldwide have informed authorities of their intent to vote abroad in the September 28 parliamentary elections.
The final day for pre-registration is August 14, and these registrations will help authorities accurately estimate the number of voters and efficiently decide where to open polling stations abroad.
In addition to Moldovans living in countries with large diaspora communities, nationals residing in countries such as Brazil, Qatar, and Malaysia have also signed up on the Central Electoral Commission's (CEC) online application, "Pre-registration."
Data published on the central electoral authority's website indicates that 42 Moldovan citizens in the United Arab Emirates have announced their intention to vote in that country in the autumn parliamentary elections, followed by seven in Cyprus, six in Australia, four in India, three in Japan, two each in Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, and one each in Thailand, Colombia, and Malaysia, among others.
Most of the Moldovans who have pre-registered this year are based in the Russian Federation, totaling 10,267 from 169 localities. The next largest group is in Germany, with 201 from 1,014 localities, followed by Italy (197), the United States (159), the United Kingdom (152), Romania (144), and France (111).
A ranking of Moldovans who pre-registered for the last election also places Russia first with 23,884 registrations, followed by Italy (23,011), the United Kingdom (16,480), and Germany (15,178).
However, on the territory of the Russian Federation, polling stations for the autumn parliamentary elections might only be opened within or near diplomatic missions.
The Vice President of the Central Electoral Commission, Pavel Postica, explained to Moldova 1 that this decision is based on security reasons and will be applied in countries involved in military conflicts, such as the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Israel.
Authorities have proposed opening 294 polling stations in more than 41 countries for the September 28 parliamentary elections, with the majority in Italy (73), Germany (36), France (26), Romania and the United Kingdom (23 each), and the United States (22).
The final decision on the number and locations of polling stations abroad will be made by the CEC by August 24.
This figure is higher than the number of polling stations opened abroad for the constitutional referendum and presidential elections, which was 231 in 37 countries.
Note that pre-registration is an optional procedure for citizens of the Republic of Moldova who are eligible to vote to announce their intention to vote in a specific location abroad. A voter who expresses their intention to vote abroad will be removed from the basic voter list.
This registration helps authorities accurately estimate the number of voters and efficiently decide where to open polling stations.
Pre-registration can be completed no later than 45 days before election day. Therefore, the final day for registration for the September parliamentary elections is August 14, 2025.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
