CEC rejects registration applications of two independent candidates

The Central Election Commission (CEC) on March 10 rejected the applications to be registered as independent election runners filed by two persons earlier, Info-Prim Neo reports. The CEC members argued that Oleg Bolotnicov presented 2,159 signatures in his support, but only 1,573 turned out to be valid. At least 2,000 signatures are needed to register a person as independent candidate. In the case of Veaceslav Rosca, only 1,678 of the 2,111 signatures presented were declared valid. At a news conference held before the meeting, Oleg Bolotnicov said that he was unofficially told to withdraw the documents he lodged with the CEC to be registered as election contender. He said he would appeal to court if his application was rejected. At the same meeting, the CEC registered Tatiana Tambalist, Valentina Cusnir and Alexandr Lomakin as independent candidates. They have been for the time being written in the ballot papers under number 20, 21 and 22. They will climb by one position as Oleg Bolotnicov, who was written under number 18, was excluded from the list. The CEC also refused to register the electoral symbol of the independent candidate Stefan Uratu, who resigned as president of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of Moldova by his own accord. The Commission said that the electoral symbol contains the word ‘Helsinki’ so that Uratu uses the image of an NGO for electoral aims. After the exclusion of the two independents, the electoral list will contain 21 election runners. Also, the Central Election Commission decided that the Moldovan citizens residing on the left bank of the Nistru could exercise their right to vote at 9 polling places on the right bank, located in the districts of Floresti, Rezina, Dubasari, Anenii Noi, Causeni and Stefan Voda.