Moldovans Vote in Their First Presidential Election

Voters in the ethnically divided republic of Moldova cast ballots in their first presidential election Sunday, and a candidate who backs independence from the Soviet Union was running unopposed.

Most voting went smoothly, although armed ethnic Russians in the separatist region of Trans-Dneister blocked voters from polling stations, and other armed groups were planning to do the same there, reports said.

Two-thirds of Moldova’s 4.3 million people are ethnic Romanians, many of whom seek to unite with Romania. Neighboring Romania controlled most of Moldova, formerly Moldavia, until the Soviets annexed it in World War II.

The eastern region of Trans-Dneister, however, is populated mostly by Russians and Ukrainians. Last year, it proclaimed itself a separate republic--a move opposed by Moldova since it houses important industry.

Mircea Snegur, a former Communist who led Moldova’s drive to declare independence and is running unopposed, expressed hope that the election can help overcome the republic’s ethnic differences.

“Today’s election demonstrates the possibility of consolidation of all the progressive forces in Moldova, as well as the possibility of improvement of the relations between the different ethnic groups,” he said after casting his ballot.

A spokesman for Snegur said 50% of the country’s 2.4 million voters had cast their ballots by midday. Official results were not expected until today.

In Trans-Dneister, there were efforts to force a boycott of the election.

According to the Moldovan Press Information Agency, ethnic Russians armed with assault rifles blocked a polling station in the village of Delakey.

The Tass news agency quoted the Moldovan Interior Ministry as saying that 64 armed groups had been formed to prevent voters from casting ballots in the region.

The Interior Ministry also told Tass that Soviet military helicopters scattered thousands of leaflets in Trans-Dneister on Saturday urging voters to stay away from the polls.