Rifting from moscow Is Growing: Electoral Passivity in Transnistria Is Breaking Anti-Records

On November 30, regular “elections” for members of the “supreme council” and heads of local and district “administrations” took place in the Transnistrian region of Moldova. According to the so-called “CEC”, the turnout was 26.01 % – 102,600 out of 394,000 voters – the lowest in the entire history of the electoral process in the occupied territory.

As of December 2, only a preliminary list of 33 elected MPs has been published. All of them are associated with the “Obnovlenie” (“Renewal” – Transl.) party, controlled by oligarch Viktor Gushan’s “Sheriff” holding company. There are no detailed voting results: statistics by districts, the number of valid ballots, distribution of votes among candidates, or data on voting “against the candidate” in the districts.

The campaign of the year 2025 was de facto uncontested. Forty-five people ran for 33 seats, at this, in 21 districts, voters had a choice between only one candidate and the option “against all”. In the previous 2020 elections, “Obnovlenie” won 29 of the 33 seats, while the remaining four “independent” MPs were also associated with the “Sheriff” business group.

The Bureau for Reintegration Policy of Moldova has emphasized that the “elections” violate the country’s Constitution and legislation and have no legal consequences for the status of the region.

The extremely low turnout, lack of competition, and complete control of the “supreme council” by “Obnovlenie” indicate a growing gap between the occupation administration and the population. Against the background of economic decline, tariff pressure, and reduced support from russia, hidden social discontent in the region will intensify.