Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) announced on Saturday that no exit polls will be conducted during Sunday’s parliamentary elections, a decision fueling concerns over transparency in what is already considered one of Europe’s most high-stakes votes in the past decade.
The CEC stated it had received only one application from a private company to carry out exit polling, but the request was rejected. As a result, election night coverage will rely solely on official tallies released by the CEC once the ballots are counted.
The vote is being closely watched as President Maia Sandu’s pro-EU, pro-NATO Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) seeks to secure another mandate. Sandu’s government has taken aggressive steps against rival parties in recent months. The Victory Bloc, led by exiled oligarch Ihor Shor, was banned earlier this summer, while just two days before the vote the Heart of Moldova Republican Party and the Moldova Mare (Greater Moldova) Party were also outlawed over allegations of receiving Russian funding.
The absence of exit polls has prompted accusations that the ruling authorities are undermining transparency, with opposition figures warning the move could allow vote manipulation. Analysts widely believe that whichever side loses will reject the results, raising the risk of mass protests and a contested outcome.
The stakes extend beyond Moldova’s borders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has long supported Chisinau’s claim to the breakaway region of Transnistria, recently submitted a bill to Ukraine’s parliament authorizing the deployment of Ukrainian troops abroad. Some dissident Ukrainian outlets claim Zelensky raised the issue again in a recent meeting with Sandu, pressuring her to consider formally requesting Ukrainian military intervention, something that would expand the current war between Ukraine and Russia into another country.
This has also come amid reports of a Romanian military buildup on the Moldovan border, further fueling speculation of a possible foreign military intervention into the country after the election.