Moldovan election: bridge used by Transnistrian voters under bomb threat – media

Khrystyna Bondarieva — Sunday, 3 November 2024, 20:11

Moldovan police, overseeing the second round of presidential elections, have received a report of a bomb threat against a bridge used by a significant number of voters from unrecognised Transnistria travelling to vote in Moldovan-controlled territories.

Source: Moldovan TV channel TV8, cited by European Pravda

Details: Traffic was halted on the bridge connecting Transnistrian Rîbniţa and Rezina on the right bank of the Dniester River. Law enforcement authorities view the incident as a provocation against state institutions.

Quote from Moldovan Police: "We classify the event as a challenge to state institutions, which are now accused of restricting citizens’ movement to exercise their voting rights. We urge those intentionally provoking state institutions to refrain from such gestures and to allow proper conduct of voter participation and avoid wasting resources [on fake threats – ed.]."

Police were compelled to suspend movement to check the report in accordance with the protocol.

Earlier in the day, Moldovan police had already halted traffic on the bridge between Rîbniţa and Rezina after discovering a suspicious box carried by an individual who refused to open it upon request. Movement resumed over two hours later.

The Central Election Commission of Moldova (CEC) also reported bomb threats against two polling stations in Varnița, where citizens from the Transnistrian region vote.

Additionally, Moldova’s Foreign Ministry reported fake bomb threats at four polling stations in Germany and the UK.

The Moldovan government had previously warned European countries about such potential disruptions, indicating that Russia might attempt to interfere with voting by Moldovan emigrants at overseas polling stations.

Notably, Moldovan CEC data shows that turnout in the presidential election’s second round is higher than in the first, especially among voters in Chisinau and the diaspora.

On Sunday, Moldovan authorities also reported extensive Russian interference in the election's second round.

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