The authorities of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldavian Republic (PMR) have announced their intention to hold a referendum on the region's attitude towards the European Union, reported the PMR's foreign policy department. They noted that the decision is related to Chisinau's refusal to open polling stations in Transnistria for the upcoming constitutional referendum on Moldova's accession to the EU, as reported by NewsMaker.
Transnistria accuses the Moldovan authorities of "ignoring the opinion of the region's residents." The PMR's statement says that in order to "obtain the real opinion of all Transnistrians, a separate referendum will be organized in the region with the participation of international observers and based on agreements with external parties."
In response, Moldova's Bureau for Reintegration stated that polling stations will be opened in the Security Zone during the October 20 elections and referendum, but there will be no polling stations in the uncontrolled territory. Chisinau explains this by citing the lack of security guarantees and the possibility of external interference, which would violate the law.
The Bureau also called Tiraspol's statement a manipulation driven by external forces, accusing PMR authorities of creating obstacles for Moldovan political parties and journalists to access the region before the referendum.
