# Transnistria Independence Referendum (17 September 2006)

URL: https://allhistories.com/moldova/timeline/2006-transnistria-independence-referendum
Location: Tiraspol, Transnistria
Themes: Key Events

Transnistria's leadership under Igor Smirnov regarded the new customs regime introduced by Ukraine and Moldova in March 2006 as a blockade and sought to reinforce the region's claim to statehood. Montenegro's independence referendum in May 2006 and Kosovo's status talks were cited in Tiraspol as precedents. On 17 September 2006 the Transnistrian authorities held a referendum with two questions. According to official figures, turnout was about 78.6 per cent, and about 97.1 per cent of voters supported independence with subsequent free association with Russia, while a similar majority rejected the option of renouncing independence and joining Moldova. Moldova, the European Union, the United States and the OSCE refused to recognise the vote, citing the lack of a free media environment and the absence of independent international observers. Russia did not formally recognise it either, though it observed the process. The referendum did not change Transnistria's legal status, but it became a central reference for the region's leaders, who repeatedly cited it to justify their demand for recognition and integration with Russia. Settlement talks in the 5+2 format resumed formally only in 2011.

## Why it matters
The vote crystallised Tiraspol's official goal of independence and union with Russia, although no state recognised it.

Ruler at the Time: [Vladimir Voronin](https://allhistories.com/moldova/rulers/vladimir-voronin)

Prime Minister of Moldova: Vasile Tarlev (Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — 2006 Transnistrian independence referendum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Transnistrian_independence_referendum)
- [OSCE Mission to Moldova](https://www.osce.org/mission-to-moldova)
- [Wikipedia — Modern Moldova (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldova)