A referendum was held in Transnistria on 1 December 1991, in which Transnistria voted to continue its de facto independence and seek international recognition as a separate, sovereign country and member of the international community.

International observers were invited, including representatives of the US State Department.

In the conclusion of the observers, the referendum was an expression of the true will of Transnistria's population.

The United States, which did not avail itself of the invitation to watch the referendum, later expressed doubt about its veracity.

According to an article by the ethnic Russian researcher from Moldova Alla Skvortsova from 2002, "polls and elections in the PMR may to some extent have been rigged".