The article examines the motivation behind the participation of residents of an unrecognized state in the national elections of the «parent» state and the resulting implications for the electoral process and the dynamics of relations between the separatist region and central authorities. To address this question, the study analyzes the electoral behavior of citizens of the Republic of Moldova residing within the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR). Two hypotheses are formulated: first, that the electoral preferences of Transnistrians are geopoliticized, and second, that Transnistrian voters’ votes are bought through informal ties between the elites of Chisinau and Tiraspol. The vote-buying process is analyzed within the framework of machine politics, particularly in connection with voter transportation and the activities of the Transnistrian conglomerate «Sheriff». The research is based on materials from the 2019 parliamentary elections. The context of the past electoral campaign and its possible impact on the election results at polling stations organized for Moldovan citizens residing in the PMR is analyzed. The results of elections at Transnistrian polling stations of the main Moldovan political parties at the time of the elections (PDM, PSRM, PCRM, ACUM bloc, «Shor») are mapped, a comparative-geographical analysis of the results of the main political forces of the country is made, and assumptions are made about the clientelist support of other parties, in particular, of the «Shor» party. The study concludes that the geopoliticization of Transnistrian electoral preferences plays a decisive role, with voters consistently supporting conditionally pro-Russian alternatives. The findings suggest that even under «ideal» conditions, the actual effectiveness of machine politics in the postSoviet space remains low.
Electoral clientelism, unrecognized states, electoral manipulation, electoral preferences, political machines, geopolitization
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