The Central Electoral Commission has decided to relocate four polling stations for voters in the Transnistrian region. The decision was made following notifications from the General Inspectorate of Police and the Intelligence and Security Service, which reported security risks, including possible bomb threats and other provocations, IPN reports.
Thus, the polling station in Varnita, intended for Transnistrian voters, will be transferred to Anenii Noi, the one in Hagimus – to Causeni, and the stations in Cocieri and Dorotcaia in Dubăsari district will be relocated to Chisinau municipality. According to the CEC, the relocation was necessary to ensure the safe conduct of the electoral process, in localities located outside the security zone, at a distance of at least 30 kilometers from it.
“It was a difficult decision when we discussed this aspect. If the pessimistic scenarios formulated by colleagues from the IGP and SIS came true, we could find ourselves in a situation where we could not organize the electoral process at all for voters in the Transnistrian region. For this reason, we decided to relocate only four polling stations, those directly targeted in the information presented”, said Pavel Postica, vice-president of the CEC.
Pavel Postica specified that the possibility of identifying reserve locations for the other polling stations was also analyzed, in the event of alerts. “We are aware that certain alerts could be launched intentionally, with the aim of compromising the electoral process and accusing the authorities of organizational incapacity. For this reason, it is essential to be prepared and react promptly”, he stated.
The authorities assure that voters will be informed in advance about the new locations of the polling stations. At the same time, the CEC vice-chairman explained that the institution has the responsibility to ensure the safe conduct of the election, but not the transportation of voters. Therefore, citizens will have to travel to the polling stations on their own. He added that the new addresses were chosen so that they are on main routes, where public transport circulates, in order to facilitate voters’ access.
For the parliamentary elections on September 28, it was decided to open 12 polling stations for voters in the Transnistrian region, 18 fewer than in the previous elections.
