MOLDOVA HOLDS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION- Preliminary results to be issued at press conference
Moldova’s incumbent president Maia Sandu and her main rival Aleksandr Stoianoglo voted in the presidential elections in Chisinau on Sunday .
After casting his vote for the presidential election, Stoianoglo told reporters that he did not participate in the EU referendum, saying it was “not related to the European Union itself,” adding he nevertheless supported Moldova’s “European aspirations.”
The referendum will decide whether to insert a clause into the constitution defining EU accession as a goal.
Sandu told media representatives that she believed “our vote in the (EU) referendum will determine our fate for many decades to come.”
Polling stations, which opened at 05:00 GMT, closed at 18:00 GMT. The Central Election Commission is expected to issue early, preliminary results at a first press conference at 19:00 GMT.
Polls show a majority support joining the 27-nation bloc, though five of the candidates have told their supporters to vote “No” or boycott, saying the timing of the referendum is a ruse to boost Sandu’s haul at the election.
