Moldova: Moldova's rebel Dnestr region voted for a new parliament yesterday in an election set to strengthen its self-styled independence and raise fresh doubts over the success of reunification talks.
Russian-speaking Dnestr broke away from Romanian-speaking Moldova in 1990 and fought a brief war in 1992. Talks to settle the conflict have gained a new momentum this year after the European Union and the United States joined in.
The tiny strip of land on the Ukrainian border was the industrial powerhouse of Soviet-era Moldova and its re-integration is crucial for the prosperity of the nation.
But the region's veteran leader, Igor Smirnov, made clear he would still accept nothing less than full independence.
"Dnestr is an independent state," he told reporters after casting his ballot in the regional centre of Tiraspol. "We have never interfered in Moldova's domestic affairs and ask Moldova to adopt a similar attitude."
Dnestr, where many communist, Soviet-era traditions are kept alive, is not recognised internationally and depends on backing from Russia, which keeps about 1,300 peacekeepers and a huge amount of military ammunition in the region.
Europe's top human rights body, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), refused to send observers to the election, saying too little time was given by the regional authorities to make the polls free and fair.
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, who is trying to end his country's dependence on Russia and bring it closer to the EU, has also criticised the election.
Mr Smirnov shrugged off the criticism."When the OSCE declared the poll illegitimate even before the voting, it acted on the interests of the United States which helped ruin the Soviet Union and now the Russian Federation's influence in post-Soviet countries," he said.
Analysts said Mr Smirnov's defiance reflects a consensus of views in the rebel region. "Various economic groups and parties can fight each other in the Dnestr region. But all of them have a consolidated position towards Moldova," said Viktor Zhosu, an independent political analyst.
"Whether Moldova likes it or not, this poll will just strengthen the legitimacy of the Dnestr authorities in the eyes of the local population."
Many local voters agreed. "I voted for Dnestr independence, for our recognition. I voted for prosperity in Dnestr," Galina Marchenko, a pensioner, said leaving a polling station where drinks were on sale and an orchestra played classical music.
- (Reuters)