Referendum on independence successful; record 78% turnout

Moscow's puppets? Happy voters in Pridnestrovie wave flags in support of a pro-independence political party

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - According to final data released by the Central Election Commission, 78.6% of registered voters participated in the 17 September referendum. To be valid under local laws, at least fifty percent of the electorate has to participate.

The turnout, with an abstention rate of just 21.4%, is seen as an indicator of strong voter interest in the two questions on the ballot: Either future independence and statehood, or unification with Moldova. The turnout in Pridnestrovie's most recent parliamentary elections reached 56.3% of the registered votes. This figure was deemed "acceptable" at the time, with international observers noting that it is actually higher than many similar types of elections in both the U.S. and Europe. In comparison, a record 78.6% turnout is almost unheard of and a measure of how important this issue is to the hearts and minds of the voters of Pridnestrovie, a still-unrecognized country also known under the unofficial name Transnistria.

Voter turnout by district

Of the seven main towns and cities in Pridnestrovie, voter turnout was highest in Kamenka, in the north of the country.

The tally of the referendum results is now underway, with vote counting being monitored in the presence of international observers and foreign journalists. 174 international observers participate in the event, along with a total of 215 journalists from 17 different countries. Preliminary results are expected Monday, but exit polls already indicate that the result will be a huge win for pro-independence forces. Depending on the area and the exit polls which Tiraspol Times consulted, estimates range from between 90% to 98% percent for independence and in rejection of unification with Moldova.

Sour grapes in Moldova

Meanwhile, in Chisinau, a former Moldovan advisor to the presidency repeated that his country won't take the will of the people into account, and that the referendum shall be utterly ignored in the settlement talks between Moldova and PMR:
" - The show called ‘a referendum on Transdnestr independence’ is staged by Moscow’s puppets on a Kremlin’s instruction,” claimed Moldovan nationalist and ex-presidential spokesman Oazu Nantoi in an interview to Info-Prim-neo.

“ - There is no chance that any legal outcomes will follow,” insisted the political spin-doctor and former presidential advisor. Unwilling to accept that the people of the region has a strong opinion on their own future, he could only see the hand of Russia as being behind this latest push for democracy. Refusing to even say the name of the unrecognized country, he insisted on referring to it as "our eastern region" and speculated that Russia would now begin a “silent annexation of the eastern part of the Republic of Moldova.”

A total of 174 international observers and 215 journalists have been monitoring the vote throughout the day, with no reports of any sign of foreign interference. In contrast, as reported by The Associated Press and other news media, many people here perceive Moldova as a foreign oppressor. Leaving behind a somewhat unjustified Moldovan territorial claim is a genuinely held wish by the unrecognized country's 555,000 citizens; most of whom are strong supporters of independence and have repeatedly stated that they see no possibility of a common future with Moldova.