Some of the political parties seriously violate the rights of the voters, especially of those who live in rural areas as they are less informed and are used to obeying the functionaries, the head of the European Academy of Civil Society Renata Verejanu said in a news conference, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. According to her, the Communists Party had and continues to have a strong influence on the people, while their call to boycott the referendum infringes voters' rights. In the same connection, Renata Verejanu said the calls to boycott the referendum made by the Balti Municipal Council and the People's Assembly of Gagauzia represent abusive use of administrative resources. “The councilors or mayors or any other official are obliged to solve the problems encountered by the voters and make sure that the elections run smoothly. They cannot impose on them a certain behavior in the referendum,” Renata Verejanu said. “If these people express their opinions as private entities, they exercise a personal right, but if they do it from the positions held they use the administrative resources and, consequently, violate voters' rights.” The European Academy of Civil Society calls on the people to take part in the referendum and express their positions on the issue. According to a poll conducted by this NGO, 67% of the 1,011 respondents from all over Moldova want the head of state to be elected directly by the people, while 49% said they will take part in the referendum.