The Central Election Commission (CEC) has the necessary resources to set up abroad more polling places for the November 30 parliamentary elections. The Commission will supply the polling places with a sufficient number of ballots so as to avoid the repeat of the situation of 2010, when the people voted on white sheets of paper, CEC deputy chairman Stefan Uritu said in the public debate “Framework for regulating and ensuring 2014 parliamentary elections: guarantees, innovations, challenges and dangers” staged by IPN News Agency in partnership with Radio Moldova.
“We have money to set up 100 polling places, as opposed to the 75 established earlier. We intend to send more ballots to these places, by 3,000 to each, so that the people no longer vote on papers, as it happened earlier,” stated Stefan Uritu.
He reminded that there is an Internet application by which the people can verify their personal data. “By this application the voters can inform us where they will be on November 30, will give their consent to being struck off the list in the settlement where they live and to being written on the list at the polling place where they will be on the election day. The people will be informed where the closest polling place to them is located. This way we hope to facilitate voting for those who are abroad,” said Stefan Uritu, noting that not all the states allow opening polling places outside consulates and embassies, as for example Canada.
Expert Igor Botan, executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT, said that Moldova should learn from the experience of 2010. “There were polling places where the number of ballots was insufficient. We know that this time the CEC has the budget needed to ensure correct elections abroad too. We will see if those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs manage to convince the authorities of the host countries to protect these places. I see no problems in this respect. I think the people will want to vote,” he stated.
The executive director of the Comrat Youth Center “Pligrim-Demo” Mihail Sirkeli said that it’s normal for the Moldovans aboard to be able to cast their ballots in an appropriate way. As to the people from Transnistria, he stated that he sees no political will to ensure these peoples’ right to vote as they could change the country’s political landscape.
The public debate “Framework for regulating and ensuring 2014 parliamentary elections: guarantees, innovations, challenges and dangers” is the 32nd of the series of debates “Development of political culture in public debates” that are staged by IPN Agency with the support of the German foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
