At the presidential election and the constitutional referendum of October 20, there was a significant turnout among the Moldovans abroad, with a total of 240,548 participants. The figure represents 15.39% of the total voters. This increased mobilization, compared to the previous elections, confirms the diaspora’s interest in the future of the country and the need for its involvement in the electoral process, says an analytical note compiled by the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), IPN reports.
The rate of participation of the diaspora in the national constitutional referendum on joining the EU and in the October 20 presidential election was well above the limits of expectations, based on statistical data on participation in the previous elections," says ADEPT’s analysis.
The authors underline the impact on the constitutional referendum, where 76.8% of the diaspora voted in favor of amending the Constitution so as to enshrine the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the European Union in it. Comparatively, the internal results showed a majority opposition. According to ADEPT, this contribution of the diaspora was decisive in validating the results of the referendum, which showed a preference of 50.35% for European integration, despite calls by some political parties for a boycott.
ADEPT also draws attention to the challenges in the runoff presidential election. Among these factors are electoral debates and countering of fraudulent activities, including by further mobilizing diaspora voters.
The association urges the citizens both in the country and abroad to exercise their right to vote, thus contributing to a stronger democracy and to a European future for Moldova.
The experts also note that the previous presidential elections, of 2016 and 2020, held in two rounds of voting, showed that, usually, before the runoff vote, there is massive mobilization and a significantly higher turnout. In 2016, 67,205 electors voted in the first round of the presidential election in the diaspora and 138,720 - in the second round, by 106% more than in the first round. In the 2020 presidential election, 150,022 voters participated in the first round, and 263,177 - in the second round, by 75% more.
