The Appeals Court partially accepted the challenges filed by a number of parties to the Central Election Commission’s decision concerning the polling stations that are to be established outside the country for the July 11 snap parliamentary elections. Under the court’s judgment, the CEC is obliged to modify its last decision and to approve the opening of at least 190 polling stations for the diaspora, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration recommended, IPN reports.

Igor Pohilă, the lawyer for the Electoral Bloc “Renato Usatîi”, said this decision could have been taken one week earlier, but the process was delayed owing to the PPPDA leader Andrei Năstase, who made a number of replacement requests to the court. The Appeals Court annulled the annexes to the CEC’s decision, which stipulated that 146 polling stations will be established outside Moldova’s borders. The decision itself remained in force. The CEC is obliged to supplement this decision with a new annex, taking into account the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ recommendation to establish 191 polling stations.

According to the leader of the PPPDA Andrei Năstase, what he struggled and worked for was achieved. The 191 polling stations asked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be established. The court’s decision is due to those from home and also to those from the diaspora, who preregistered in such a large number. The PPPDA insisted that the Ministry’s opinion was mandatory, not consultative as the representative of the CEC maintained.

Nadejda Tatarchuk, secretary general of the PACE, noted that this is a victorious moment. However, the PACE suggests establishing 220 polling stations abroad so as to enable all the Moldovans to vote.

The CEC decided to establish only 146 polling stations intended for the diaspora. The Electoral Bloc “Renato Usatîi”, PPPDA, PAS, PUN, AUR, PACE and the Party “Democracy at Home” challenged this decision. The examination of the case started on June 10.