Moldova's Ukrainians elect President at Chisinau and Balti polling stations

The over 71,000 holders of Ukrainian passports in the Republic of Moldova are expected today, January 17, at the two polling stations, one located in Chisinau and the other on Balti, to elect the President of Ukraine from among 18 candidates participating in the race, Info-Prim Neo reports. The polling stations no. 58 and 59, opened on the territory of Moldova, are hosted by the Ukrainian Embassy in Chisinau and the Consulate in Balti, respectively. Sergey Kozyi, the chairman of station no.58, has told Info-Prim Neo that the voting process is taking place quite actively and that people started queuing up outside the station already from 8:00, the opening hour. Ukraine's Ambassador to Moldova Sergey Pirojkov said that the Ukrainian authorities did everything possible so that the Ukrainians living on both sides of the Nistru could participate in the vote. The ambassador added that some 90 percent of the voters listed in the voter rolls at the polling stations in Moldova are from the Transnistrian region. From the morning hours, buses from Tiraspol, Tighina, Dubasari and other locations from the Transnistrian region started arriving at the Embassy. “The Ukrainians in Transnistria made their own arrangements for the transport to come to Chisinau. The new legislation forbids us to transport voters to the polling stations, and so people are free to organize themselves as they wish”, says Sergey Kozyi. “I came to cast my vote for a good manager of a unified Ukraine, who will represent the interest of the entire nation. It is key for the government and the president to come to an understanding, this is the only way to ensure stability. The people will follow the honest one”, says Lidia Artiomova, from Chisinau. Miroslav Severin, from Tiraspol, says he cast his vote for democracy, respect for human rights, and Ukraine's European integration. “We wish for a president who is a patriot, who wouldn't forget that he can't live without the people, while the people can live without him”, says Corneliu Koroliov, from Lviv. The polling stations will remain open until 20:00. Polls suggest that none of the 18 candidates in the race will be able to gather 50 percent plus one vote and win from the first round, so it is most likely that in 3 weeks, on February 17, a runoff will be held.