DISINFO: US and EU officials have intervened openly in Moldova's domestic political processes
SUMMARY
To prevent Igor Dodon’s victory in the first round, US and EU officials openly intervened in the internal political processes of Moldova, pointing out to the country’s leadership on where to open and where to reduce polling stations. Thus, Brussels and Washington made it clear that any simplification of the voting procedure for Transnistria will be perceived as an attempt to falsify the voting results and could result in the implementation of a Belarusian scenario in Moldova.
Donald Tusk has also demonstrated his disrespect to the choice of the Moldovan people by publicly supporting Maia Sandu and calling on all pro-European forces to unite around this politician.
The victory of Maia Sandu in the first round of elections has demonstrated the results of the efforts of her external partners. In the EU and the USA local authorities were able to organise diaspora voting, once again demonstrating their indifference to the need to observe electoral rights.
RESPONSE
There is no evidence of US and EU interference in upcoming elections in Moldova. The US and EU countries support a free and fair electoral process in Moldova.
A statement published by the EU on 02 November 2020 underlines that "The European Union fully supports the strengthening of democratic institutions in the Republic of Moldova and highlights that respecting the right of all voters to express their will in credible, inclusive and transparent elections is a fundamental democratic principle which is also at the heart of the EU-Republic of Moldova Association Agreement."
It is true that in his public speech, Donald Tusk, the president of the European People's Party, announced that he supports Maia Sandu in the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova. However, in his speech in Romanian, he stated that he would respect the decision of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, no matter what it was.
As for the US, the main concern, expressed by the American ambassador to Chisinau, Dereck Hogan, in relation to voters from Transnistria, lies in the bussing of Transnistrian voters to the polling stations, which happened in the past. The "One of the main objections to Moldovans in Transnistria voting in Moldova is that only a minority do so out of a genuine interest in the politics of Moldova."
After the first round of voting, Moldovans in the diaspora demanded the reopening of several polling stations or the replacement of ballot boxes. This is due to the fact that in countries such as Germany, Italy, the UK, citizens sat in line for several hours to vote. There is no evidence, however, that local authorities in the US or in the EU countries were organising diaspora voting.
See similar disinformation cases claiming that the US and EU are involved in the election process in Moldova.