alegeri.md

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Gagauzia dismissed the application submitted by the representatives of candidate for Bashkan Dmitrii Croitor, in which they asked to recognize the first round of elections invalid. The announcement came from CEC Chairman Valentin Cara.

Dmitrii Croitor’s representatives asked the CEC to invalidate the registration of candidate for Bashkan Irina Vlah, to recognize the first round of elections invalid, and to ask the People’s Assembly to announce new Bashkan elections. However, according to the head of the CEC, the application was not supported by evidence. // gagauzinfo.md

Member of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia Ivan Burgudji asked the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) to annul the results of today’s elections, regardless of what they are. Also, Burgudji asked to deprive Irina Vlah of the status of candidate for Bashkan. According to Burgudji, today, on the day of elections, Igor Dodon was bribing voters for Irina Vlah (in the village of Congaz), while Russian televisions advocated for the people to vote for Vlah. The CEC referred Burgudji to court-only a court can make such decisions. // newsmaker.md

Irina Vlah accused Nicolai Dudoglo of using “dirty tricks” and manipulation. According to her application, “all the complaints of defamation and manipulation by Nicolai Dudoglo have been sent to law enforcement authorities, including the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to the CEC, and to international organizations.” // newsmaker.md

Candidate for Bashkan of Gagauzia Nicolai Dudoglo asked for the broadcasting of Rossiya 24 television to be stopped until 5 April 2015. The corresponding application was examined by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Gagauzia at the meeting that began at 21:00. According to the document sent to the CEC by Dudoglo’s representative Irina Zelenscaia, Rossiya 24 television “beginning at 7 o’clock in the morning on 22 March, had been covering in a biased manner the elections of the Bashkan of Gagauzia,” calling Irina Vlah the leader of the electoral race and saying that the second round in unlikely. The actions of Rossiya 24, according to Nicolai Dudoglo, “violate the standards of the electoral legislation of Moldova and the law on the elections of the head of Gagauzia.” In this connection, Nicolai Dudoglo’s representatives asked the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) to stop the broadcasting of the Russian channel until the second round of elections, 5 April 2015, of which they also informed the autonomy’s CEC. // gagauzinfo.md

The autonomy’s Central Electoral Commission has recognized the Bashkan elections as valid. Voters’ participation exceeded the 50% barrier.

By 18:30, 52% of Gagauz residents with the right to vote came to voting places. Voter turnout was 53.6% in Comrat district, 51% in Ceadir-Lunga district, and 49.9% in Vulcanesti district. // gagauzmedia.md

The 4 mobile teams of observes that monitored the elections of the Governor (Bashkan) of Gagauzia, representing the “Piligrim-Demo” organization, made the following findings:

• Overall, the voting places monitored by “Piligrim-Demo” observers opened on time and were ready for opening. Voting place (VP) no. 39 (village of Dezghinja) was poorly prepared, without clear distribution of responsibilities among members of the electoral bureau, which led to some tension.
• VP no. 39 in the village of Dezghinja: the “Se?tim” stamp, which should be used by voters to cast their votes on the ballot, was lost.
• VP no. 39 in the village of Dezghinja: observers noted violation of the secrecy of vote, which, in their opinion, was committed unconsciously, apparently due to the voters’ not knowing the voting procedure.
• On the night of 21 to 22 March 2015, about 100 ballots were lost at VP no. 6 (in Comrat).
• In the church of the village of Congaz, the morning service was attended by Igor Dodon, Member of the Parliament of Moldova and chairman of the Party of Socialists of Moldova, who, at the end of the service, in the presence of the congregation, presented the church with 50 thousand lei. According to Igor Dodon himself, thus he fulfilled a promise that he had made earlier.
• VP no. 22 in Vulcanesti: in the first hours of voting, voters deliberately violated the secrecy of their vote, demonstrating their ballots to those present.
• “Piligrim-Demo” observers noted several instances of campaigning in support of candidates (in the villages of Chirsovo, Besalma, and Dezghinja).
• “Piligrim-Demo” observers noted three attempts to influence voters’ choice in VPs nos. 34, 39, and 15.

 // piligrim-demo.org.md