The Republic of Moldova is holding negotiations for accession to the European Union, which were opened in December 2023, after the long-awaited verdict of the EU member states. The country started its path towards the great European family, united around common political, economic, cultural and social values. Moldova tends to become a country where people’s rights are respected, laws are oriented towards the needs of the people, and citizens can enjoy better living conditions and peace in the country.
In this not easy process, the October referendum can confirm the European aspirations of the Moldovan citizens. The acts adopted on the plebiscite voting day have legal force, after the results are validated by the Constitutional Court and are enforceable throughout the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
In Romania, the diaspora can exercise their right to vote at one of the 16 polling stations that will be open from 07:00 a.m. until 09:00 p.m. on referendum day. On election day, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who will go to the polls will receive the ballot paper with the text of the draft amendment to the supreme law of the country and the question: “Are you for amending the Constitution for enshrining the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the European Union in it?”. The voting options are: “YES” and “NO”.
Those who go to vote must have their Moldovan identity card or passport with them, including those with an expired validity period, to be able to exercise their right to vote. The security stamp will not be applied on the accompanying sheet of the identity card.
From September 30 to October 13, 2024 inclusive, one can check whether their data were correctly entered in the voter list at the electoral office of the polling station. One can also ask to be included in or excluded from the list, to have other errors regarding their data or those of other voters corrected. For any changes to be made, one must present their identity documents and/or other confirmation documents.
To find out which polling station one can vote at, the person needs to visit the official website of the Central Election Commission (cec.md) and click on the “State Register of Voters”, or visit the page verifica.cec.md, click on “Find out where to vote”, select the home address and the same information about the polling station associated with the address will appear.
If ones goes to the polling station on election day, but finds that they were not put on the basic voter roll, they should prove with their identity document that they reside in the territorial area of the respective polling station. In such a situation, they are to be included on an additional list. Another important aspect that should be known is that, if the person is inside the polling station at 09:00 p.m., they have the right to vote.
If the referendum is successful, the country’s Constitution will stipulate that integration into the European Union is the “strategic objective” of the Republic of Moldova. For the referendum to be validated, at least half of the citizens who go to the polls need to vote in favor. The second round will not take place.
We remind that the Republic of Moldova applied for accession to the European Union on March 3, 2022, on the same day as Georgia and three days after Ukraine. On June 17, 2022, the European Commission officially recommended to the European Council to grant our country a European perspective and EU candidate status. On June 23, the Council granted Moldova EU candidate status. On December 14, 2023, the European Union member states gave their verdict and Moldova’s EU accession negotiations were opened.
