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Sunday’s presidential election and EU referendum takes place amid concerns over interference from Moscow

Moldovans head to the polls on Sunday for a presidential election and an EU referendum that will mark a pivotal moment in the tug-of-war between Russia and the west over the future of the small, landlocked south-east European country of fewer than 3 million people

The pro-western president, Maia Sandu, hopes to advance her agenda by winning a second term and securing a “yes” in a referendum to affirm EU accession as a “irreversible” goal in the constitution.

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Moldova has gravitated between pro-western and pro-Russian courses, but under Sandu the impoverished country has accelerated its push to escape Moscow’s orbit amid its war in neighbouring Ukraine.