ReutersMoldovans will vote in a second round of presidential elections seen as a choice between the future of Europe or a return to Russian influence.
Pro-European President Maia Sandu faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, the man she fired as chief prosecutor, who has promised to balance foreign policy between the West and Russia and is backed by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists.
Authorities in Sandu and Moldova have warned that an oligarch now on the run in Russia is trying to buy elections in Moscow.
The Kremlin has denied meddling in the vote, as it did during last weekend’s election in Georgia, whose president described the vote as “a special task for Russia”.
“We reject allegations that we are interfering in this. We are not doing this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Sandu won the first round of voting two weeks ago with 42.4%, beating Alexandr Stoianoglo by 26%, but falling short of the 50% he needed to win outright. His vote is likely to increase due to the votes of people who failed to reach the run-off.
After voting, Sandu warned the people of Moldova that “thieves” want to buy their vote and their country and urged them to preserve the independence of their country.
Stoianoglo, who promises to be the “opposition president” of everyone, told reporters that he voted for “a Moldova that should develop in harmony with the countries of the West and the East”.
But analysts and politicians have warned that Stoianoglu’s victory could significantly change the political situation in the Danube and Black Sea region, not because he is some kind of “Trojan horse”, but because Russia has thrown its weight behind him.
By afternoon a quarter of Moldovans had voted, and large queues were reported in Moscow and Belarus as well as at polling stations in Romania, France and Italy.
ReutersFormer Moldovan Defense Minister Anatol Salaru said the election will decide whether Moldova will “continue the process of European integration or return to Russia”.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic bordered by Ukraine and Romania and one of the poorest countries in Europe, has a population of 2.5 million. It also has a large expatriate population of 1.2 million, whose votes could be key for Maia Sandu in the run-off.
Moldova opened negotiations to join the European Union, and on the same day of the first round Moldovans voted by whisker to restore a change in the constitution that included a commitment to join the EU.
The low rate of his approval was a surprise, although Maia Sandu said there was clear evidence of attempts to buy 300,000 votes.
The BBC spoke to one voter who said he and others sold their votes for 1,000 rubles (£8).
Among the 1,988 polling stations open in Moldova until 21:00 (19:00G) on Sunday, 30 were open to voters from the breakaway Russian-speaking region of Transnistria, which borders Ukraine and is home to a 1,500-strong Russian military base. troops and a large depot of weapons.
Voters must cross the Dniester River into Moldovan-controlled territory and local media have shown images of cars streaming over a bridge to vote in the eastern town of Rezina.
Whatever Russia’s role behind the scenes, police say fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor had moved $39m (£30m) over two months from Moscow to Moldovan bank accounts in September and October, benefiting at least 138,000 voters.
Shor denies wrongdoing but promised to give money to people ready to support his call to say “No” to the EU. He is facing a long prison sentence in Moldova for money laundering and fraud.
Stoianoglo denies any ties to Ilan Shor but is supported by the pro-Russian opposition Party of Socialists, led by former president Igor Dodon.
The popular former mayor who came third refused to support either him or Maia Sandu, criticizing both equally.
“Do what you think is right. You have to decide for yourself,” Renato Usati told his fans, blowing up the race.
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