The country is extremely polarized, between on one side a diaspora and a capital mainly committed to the European cause, and on the other, rural areas and two regions turned towards Russia.
Moldovans vote on Sunday to choose their president and confirm or not their European destiny. Outgoing head of state Maia Sandu, a 52-year-old fervent pro-Western woman who turned her back on Moscow after the invasion of neighboring Ukraine, faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor supported by pro-Russian socialists.
Without risking numerical predictions this time, analysts all predict a close battle with, as during the legislative elections in Georgia, another former Soviet republic, fears of Russian interference despite firm denials from the Kremlin.
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Ms. Sandu came well ahead on October 20 with 42.5% of the votes but her 57-year-old rival, who collected nearly 26%, can count on the support of several small candidates. Polling stations open at 7:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) and close at 9:00 p.m., with the first partial results expected an hour later.
“The course towards European integration»
Between the two rounds, the presidential camp intensified its campaign on social networks and in the villages to try to counter the massive vote buying which, according to the authorities, tainted the results of the referendum, which was much more contested than expected. (50.35% for “yes”).
Despite a fight described as “unfair», «we have taken the first step», welcomed Maia Sandu. “We still have to win the elections on Sunday, and then set the course towards European integration by 2030“, she said, while accession negotiations were formally opened in June.
In her final message to the 2.6 million inhabitants, the former World Bank economist called for mobilization so that “honest reports» have the last word.
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«Don’t give in to scammers”: the message was hammered home in the final days of a tense campaign. “If you are offered money to vote against a candidate, refuse“, warned the police, in telephone warnings or even through loudspeakers in supermarkets.
Opposite, Mr. Stoianoglo, smooth speech where Russian words are often mixed with the official Romanian language, promised to be “the president of all», pleading for a balanced foreign policy which “will not divide society».
A vote followed closely from Brussels to Washington
In Chisinau, a 56-year-old retiree, speaking on condition of anonymity, Acsenia, regrets that “Soviet hints continue to permeate to the bone» this former state of the USSR. She does “trust in Maia Sandu to guide us on the right path, alongside the great and free European powers, far from the type of dictatorship that some are trying to impose on us».
But others, like Zinovia Zaharovna, 75, refuse to join the EU, insisting on the need to stay “independent». «Many also fear being drawn into war», Explains to AFP Andrei Curararu, from the WatchDog think tank. They will therefore prefer “a candidate on good terms with Moscow, seeing it as a guarantee of not being attacked».
The vote is being closely followed from Brussels to Washington, where there are concerns about Russia's attempt to disrupt the electoral process.
