The Central Electoral Commission suspended the second round of the snap mayoral election in Bălți after the local appellate court upheld the decision to remove Shor Party’s Marina Tauber from the race.

This was announced today early in the morning, less than an hour before polling stations were supposed to open.

“In the absence of two candidates, the Commission members decided in an extraordinary meeting to suspend the second round until the rulings issued by the district and appellate courts remain irreversible”, the CEC said in a press release.

The municipality’s 60 polling stations were ordered to return all the ballots without delay.

Snap mayoral runoffs in five other constituencies – Opaci/Căușeni, Hârtop/ Cimișlia, Cupcini/ Edineț, Bălceana/Hâncești and Cneazevca/Leova – will continue as usual.