Referendum to be held alongside elections in Moldova: Why it's beneficial for Sandu
Photo: President of Moldova Maia Sandu (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Presidential elections and a referendum will take place in Moldova on Sunday, October 20. This step is likely to help increase voter turnout.
This is mentioned in an RBC-Ukraine material titled Everyone against Sandu: Will Moldovan elections lead to Russian comeback.
The team of incumbent President Maia Sandu is betting on the first round of elections to secure victory. According to "clean" ratings, she will not be able to win in the first round. Therefore, one strategy is to bring as many "loyal" voters as possible to the polls.
Typically, voter turnout in Moldova's presidential elections is around 50%, meaning nearly half of the supporters of any given candidate stay home. To increase turnout, Sandu's team has announced a referendum on joining the European Union, which will take place alongside the first round of elections.
"We can say that holding a referendum alongside the presidential election is a political maneuver to link the European choice with the victory of a specific candidate for president. This increases the likelihood of a first-round win," Ruslan Rokhov, political analyst and managing partner of PGR Consulting Group LLC, told RBC-Ukraine.
The referendum itself will be consultative, but even in this form, it will carry significant symbolic meaning.
"If the referendum fails now, it will allow opponents of European integration and the Kremlin to intensify propaganda efforts in Moldova, claiming that the government is dragging the country where the people don’t want to go. If the referendum succeeds, it will strengthen the pro-European course and provide new momentum to pro-European parties," explained political analyst and former Moldovan representative to the Council of Europe and the UN, Alexei Tulbure.
This Sunday, Moldova will hold its presidential elections. According to polls, incumbent President Maia Sandu has the highest rating. She faces former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo, populist Renato Usatii, and independent candidate Irina Vlah.
All of them are Putinverstehers but do not openly declare their ties with Russia.
