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Moldovan Referendum, 1994




Only one complex question was asked, and citizens could answer with "yes" or "no". The text of question was the following. We give here the original Romanian and its English translation:

''Do you want the Republic of Moldova to develop as an independent and unitary state, in the frontiers recognized in the day where Moldova declared sovereignty, to promote a policy of neutrality and to maintain mutually-benefiting economic relations with all the countries of the world, and to guarantee its citizens equal rights, according to international law?''


The official results of the referendum showed that with a voter turnout of approximately 75%, 95.4% of Moldovans voted "Yes".

The referendum was organized under the title "Talking with the People sociological poll" (in Romanian "sondajul sociologic La Sfat cu Poporul").Moldovan Identity and the Politics of Pan-Romanianism, by Charles King. In Slavic Review , Vol. 53, No. 2, 1994, pp. 345-368 doi:10.2307/2501297 {Link without Title} .


INTERPRETATIONS

Many public figures and much of the press presented the referendum as a strong blow to the Unionist Movement in both countries, despite the fact that the question did not refer directly to Romania, but to independence. It also referred to territorial integrity, which was a main preoccupation due to the Transnistrian conflict.

Critics of the referendum Critics of the referendum: [http://www.curaj.net/?p=1296 , [http://www.e-democracy.md/comments/political/20030117/]. point to two main organization issues:
# the title, which was not "referendum", but "sociological poll"
# the fact that the unique question asked required a unique answer to several issues.


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