Strain in CEC because of number of ballots for stations abroad

The ambassadors will decide themselves how many ballots to ask for the polling stations within the quarters of the Moldovan diplomatic missions. The Central Election Commission (CEC) adopted an instruction on holding the parliamentary elections in the poling stations abroad, on February 27, Info-Prim Neo reports. Hot debates flared up among the CEC members because of a phrase in the instruction, according which, the embassy-based polling stations will ask for “a sufficient number of ballots” from the CEC. CEC member Nicolae Garbu asked that this phrase should be replaced with “in accordance with the Election Code,” but 6 members of those 9 voted against. Nicolae Garbu argued his proposal by the need to observe the Election Code which provides in art. 49 (3) that “To the electoral offices of the polling stations outside Moldova, the CEC sends ballots at least three days before the elections, taking into account the number of voters on updated lists, plus at most 5%.” He expressed fear that the personnel of the embassies “appointed by the Communists Party” may commit frauds. “Look how the Moldovan ambassador in the Czech Republic, Valerian Cristea, is electioneering,” Garbu said, displaying a sheet of paper pretended to be evidence in this respect. CEC secretary Iurie Ciocan reasoned the number of ballots to be asked by embassies is to be decided by the electoral offices within embassies, “to allow as many as possible citizens to vote.” “It should not happen that citizens going to the polling stations from hundreds and thousands kilometers away will be told there are no more ballots,” Ciocan said. The CEC members, except for Nicolae Garbu, Mihai Busuleac and Vasile Gafton, voted to allow the Moldovan citizens to vote even with their passports expired. At its sitting of February 27, the CEC registered 90 candidates of the Ecologist Party to run for seats in the Parliament, and the independent candidate Stefan Uratu, the chairman of the Helsinki Committee in Moldova. The CEC also registered lists of persons to electioneer for Moldova Noastra Alliance, for the PPCD, and for independent candidate Sergiu Banari. The Commission accepted the changes in the lists of candidates of the Moldova Unita Party and of the Democratic Party.