This is discussed in the article by RBK-Ukraine "Everyone Against Sandu. What to Expect from the Elections in Moldova and Will There Be a Russian Comeback." This information is reported by Kontrakty.UA.
The team of the current president Maia Sandu is focusing on the first round of elections to secure a victory. According to "clean" ratings, she is unlikely to win in the first round. Therefore, one strategy is to bring as many of her supporters to the polling stations as possible.
Typically, voter turnout in presidential elections in Moldova is around 50%. This means nearly half of the supporters of any candidate stay home. To boost turnout, Sandu's team announced a referendum on joining the European Union, which will take place concurrently with the first round of elections.
"It can be stated that holding a referendum alongside the presidential elections is a political strategy to link the European choice with the victory of a specific candidate for the presidency. This aims to increase the likelihood of winning in the first round," said political analyst and managing partner of PGR Consulting Group LLC Ruslan Rokhov to RBK-Ukraine.
The referendum itself will be advisory, but even in this form, it will carry significant symbolic weight.
"If the referendum fails now, it will allow opponents of Eurointegration and the Kremlin to intensify propaganda pressure on Moldova, claiming that the government is dragging the country in a direction the people do not want. If the referendum goes ahead, it will strengthen the pro-European course and provide new momentum for pro-European parties," explained political analyst and former representative of Moldova in the Council of Europe and the UN, Oleksiy Tulbure.
It should be noted that this Sunday, Moldova is set to hold presidential elections. According to the ratings, current president Maia Sandu has the highest rating. She faces former attorney general Alexandr Stoianoglo, populist Renato Usatii, and independent candidate Irina Vlah.
All of them are "Putin's puppets," but they do not disclose their ties to Russia.