PCRM demands replacement of appellate court on Chirtoaca's re-election

The Communist Party has petitioned the Supreme Court of Justice to reassign the case on the lawfulness of Dorin Chirtoaca's re-election as Chisinau Mayor to a different appellate court than the Chisinau Court of Appeals, Info-Prim Neo reports. Last week, after the Centru District Court declared Dorin Chirtoaca to be a lawfully re-elected mayor, the Communist Party appealed. Today, June 30, the Communists requested the reassignment because they suspected the Chisinau Court was politically biased. “We have suspicions that the Court will not be impartial on this case”, stated Communist Party's lawyer Sergei Sirbu. There are five appeals courts is Moldova, in Chisinau, Balti, Comrat, Cahul and Tighina. On June 19, Liberal Dorin Chritoaca won re-election by a narrow margin in a runoff also featuring Communist candidate Igor Dodon, with 50.6% to 49.4%. The Communist Party contested the election as being tainted by fraud and violation of the secret vote principle.