The Centru District Court put off the hearing to validate the mayoral elections in Chisinau until July 10. In the same hearing, the Court was to examine the Party of Socialists’ application to annul the results of the runoff vote in Chisinau and to rerun the elections. The hearing was postponed at the request of the party’s jurist Maxim Lebedinski, who argued that he has to be present at another hearing.
The jurist reiterated that the challenge is based on multiple violations identified by the party’s observers and on the reports of electoral office members as well as on the challenges filed by national observers. Today, July 7, the Balti Appeals Court was to pronounce on the Party of Socialists’ request to recount the votes cast for the Chisinau Municipal Council, but the hearing was put off until July 9.
The representative of the Liberal Party and of Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca, lawyer Tatiana Iovu said the local elections, challenged by the Socialists, were held in accordance with the law and the electoral standards. “The citizens of Chisinau municipality made a choice and we should respect this choice. All the provided arguments and evidence are unfounded and cannot influence the election outcome,” she stated.
According to the Central Election Commission, the Liberal Party’s candidate for mayor Dorin Chirtoaca won the elections by 53.44% of the vote. His opponent Zinaida Grecheanyi, of the Party of Socialists, gained 46.56% of the ballot. The difference between the votes polled by the two is about 21,000.
