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The Court of Appeal has ordered the recounting of ballot papers for the Chisinau Municipal Council, upon a request by the Liberal Party which invoked frauds. PCRM representatives described the court decision as political, saying that the court considered the PL appeal in a hurry, without new arguments and evidence. PCRM will deploy observers to monitor the recounting procedure.

The Central Electoral Commission has approved an instruction concerning the procedure of recounting of ballot papers for the June 5, 2011 general local elections. According to the instruction, the recounting of ballot papers ordered by the law court in charge with confirming the results of elections in the constituency concerned shall take place within maximum 7 days since the ballot recounting decision was made. The recounting will be operated by the same electoral bodies which count the votes on June 5, 2011. On the day set for the recounting of ballot papers, the head of the 1st-level constituency electoral council — in case of recounting of ballot papers for election of mayors of villages (communes), city/members of rural (communal), city councils, and 2nd-level in case of recounting of ballots for election of mayors of municipalities/members of district/municipal councils, assisted by at least two members and police security, as well as by representatives of electoral candidates to electoral bodies and observers accredited upon their demand shall go to the law court to take the boxes (bags) with electoral papers. The date of recounting was not set yet, as this decision is to be taken by the constituency electoral body concerned.

The Central Electoral Commission informs that it has published on its website the scanned original reports on counting of ballot papers for election of members of district/municipal councils. The reports on other elections are being scanned and will be published on the website.

The Promo-LEX Association has released the third monitoring report on electoral campaign for the general local elections, carried out during June 5–16, 2011. According to observers, the campaign had the same intensity after the first round of elections, the electoral administration did not commit serious abnormities, and media outlets kept covering the electoral campaign actively. However, there were some cases of violence and intimidation, use of administrative resources and dissemination of electoral gifts. Promo-LEX invites electoral contestants to be more active while signalling violations of electoral norms and to provide necessary evidence, as at least 24 out of 56 requests submitted and monitored by observers have been turned down because of the lack of evidence. (Source: Promo-LEX)

On the day of the runoff vote and repeat elections in some electoral constituencies set for June 19, 2011, the Central Electoral Commission will release public reports accordingly to a preset timetable.

The “Democratia Acasa” (Democracy at Home) Movement urges the TV channels Prime TV and Alt TV to refute the reports that “young people would support candidate Dorin Chirtoaca for the seat of mayor.” The movement held a news conference on June 15 and invited young people to participate in elections, while media outlets described the call as a support for a candidate. According to representatives of the movement, none of the two candidates running for Chisinau City Hall represents the young people. (Source: Info-Prim Neo)

Oleg Cernei, municipal candidate on behalf of PL, has revealed at a news conference the social conditions and luxury living of the candidate running for Chisinau mayor, Igor Dodon, and municipal councillors elected on behalf of PCRM. According to the reports, Dodon and his team own luxury estates in Moldovan capital, luxury real estate worthier than public functionaries like the persons concerned could afford. The Liberal Party has plans to ask competent institutions to investigate the case.

About 500 cars gathered in the Great National Square and attended a joint manifestation organised by member parties of the Alliance for European Integration to invite all citizens to participate in elections and to vote Dorin Chirtoaca. The car convoy carrying the symbols of PL, PLDM and PD visited all districts of the capital and all suburbs and invited Chisinau residents to participate in elections on Sunday. The car caravan closed the electoral campaign with a message.

The PCRM candidate running for the seat of mayor, Igor Dodon, has reacted to accusations brought by PL against PCRM councillor Anatolie Tofan, who would have raped and killed a minor 20 years ago. Dodon promised in front of journalists to investigate the case of Tofan, assuring that “this character will not be member of the PCRM faction in CMC anymore,” if the information is confirmed. Dodon fell short of revealing the way he will act, but according to legislation, just the person concerned is able to tender resignation as councillor, while the party which nominated him cannot revoke him anymore.

PCRM supporters held a meeting in front of the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Chisinau and voted a resolution to call for a change of the state of things in capital. Expressing satisfaction with the victory in the Chisinau Municipal Council, participants in the meeting were confident that Igor Dodon would rule the City Hall, but called for participation and mobilisation on June 19.

According to Vladimir Voronin, the 17th of June 2011 will be marked in the history of Moldovan democracy as a mourning day, when the liberal governance controlled the legal system and initiated the revision of results of elections for the Chisinau Municipal Council. Voronin noted that the acting authorities control the Central Electoral Commission and representatives of the ruling alliance make a majority in all electoral offices, so that the liberals will try again to cheat, falsify, bribe electors, and turn up all administrative machinery to preserve their seats at the runoff vote on June 19.

Maia Laguta, a former candidate for the seat of mayor, has held a news conference and called against liberals, democrats, and communists, fearing that “nobody will be better.” Laguta noted that she does not support any electoral candidate and invited the population to consider carefully all compromising evidence provided by candidates during electoral campaign, and to “let their brain decide.” (Source: Unimedia)