Harlamenko, Dudoglo seek recount of votes cast in Gagauz elections

The head of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia Anna Harlamenko, in a news conference on Wednesday, said the election of the Governor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit was rigged, while Mihail Formuzal won the elections by intimidation and threats against the voters and his opponent Nicolai Dudoglo, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We do not recognize the results of the December 26 election. We consider that they have been rigged. Gagauzia haven’t seen such elections during its 20 years of existence. We witnessed the most serious violations of the legislation,” said Anna Harlamenko. She accused Mihail Formuzal of making unprecedented use of the administrative resources, transforming the local executive into a preelectoral staff. “All the bodies of the Executive Committee worked for the Governor, using the administrative and technical resources, the motor pool, personnel and the necessary connections. The people were intimidated into not going to the electoral meetings with candidate Nicolai Dudoglo,” said Anna Harlamenko. The head of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia also said that there were recorded a large number of double voting cases and now pressure started to be exerted on the supporters of Nicolai Dudoglo. They are threatened with dismissal and even physical harassment. Formuzal’s opponent Nicolai Dudoglo also does not recognize the outcome of the December 26 voting as he claims the electoral legislation was violated and the election was fixed. Dudoglo and Harlamenko demand a vote recount and examining the ballots as in some of them the stamp “Voted”, in favor of the reelected Governor, is so accurate as if it was put not in the polling booth, but at the publishing house. The Comrat Court of Appeals is to start examining the results of the second round of voting for the Gagauz Governor on Wednesday, January 5. In the news conference, Anna Harlamenko confirmed that she is the sister of the Mayor of Comrat Nicolae Dudoglo, stressing that she has the right to her own opinion and to own life. “I have the right to my own future not as sister of Dudoglo, but as a human and as a citizen of this country,” she stated.