The run up to the Moldovan parliamentary elections has not been without controversy. Firstly, two opposition politicians accused the authorities of poisoning them, then the President accused Russia of interfering in the elections, and now, mysteriously, hundreds of buses are making their way to the polling stations from unrecognized Transnistria.

According to veteran Moldovan journalist Alina Radu, this strange occurrence is cause for concern.

“They were organized by buses, they were paid by someone, but nobody knows exactly who organized these hundreds of buses to come and vote. And this is really, really a problem,” says the Ziarul de Garda journalist.

Radu says that there are two political figures in Moldova who would stand to benefit from this kind of corrupt voting – President Igor Dodon and the oligarch leader of the Democratic Party Vladimir Plahotniuc.

“I think they are both fighting for getting the votes in this way –​ this not transparent way, not correct way, not democratic way,” Radu comments.

What’s more, Radu adds that the country’s Central Election Committee are claiming that this is normal.

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Moldova went to the polls on February 24 for their parliamentary elections. Opinion polls suggest that the Socialist Party, previously led by current President Igor Dodon stands the best chance with the Euro-optimistic ACUM coalition and Plahotniuc’s Democratic Party following behind. The results will be announced on February 25 and are likely to shed light on who was behind the influx of Transnistrian voters, Radu told Hromadske.