MPs and political experts said the Central Election Commission’s decision to increase the number of polling stations intended for the voters from the Transnistrian region and not to raise the number of polling stations designed for the Moldovans abroad is abusive and represents gross interference in electoral democracy, IPN reports.

The MPs who protested yesterday in front of the CEC’s building, asking to review the decision to open only 139 polling stations for the diaspora, said the Commission’s decision is politically biased.

“During the last few years, the people from the diaspora have been increasingly interested in the political life in the Republic of Moldova, want to return home and therefore hope to influence the political processes. The whole PSRM-PCRM gang understands that it will be driven away and thus tries to keep its positions at any cost and see a danger in the citizens from the diaspora,” PAS MP Lilian Carp stated in the talk show “Expertise Hour” on JurnalTV channel.

The PPPDA MPs said the CEC’s decision to increase the number of polling stations intended for the voters from the Transnistrian region, despite the SIS’ warning about eventual risks to national security, is abusive.

“The decisions concerning the Transnistrian territory should be endorsed by a number of institutions, the Reintegration Bureau, the Joint Control Commission. We consider the way in which the CEC cut the number of pooling stations proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the diaspora is aberrant as the Commission simultaneously rose the number of stations for the Transnistrian region, ignoring the threats persisting on this territory, as the SIS warned. Behind this apparent neglect, there is the PSRM’s interest in maximizing its electoral chances on July 11,” said PPPDA MP Igor Munteanu.

The CEC’s decision concerning the establishment of 139 polling stations outside the country for the July 11 snap is pending in court. The challenges filed by the PAS, PUN and the Electoral Bloc “Renato Usatîi” will be examined by the Appeals Court as a single case on June 10.

“We are waiting for the court’s decision. If the court acts as the CEC acted, this will show that the Republic of Moldova is captured. This abusive decision by the CEC represents interference in what electoral democracy in the Republic of Moldova means. The attempt to limit the diaspora’s right to vote is brutal,” said political commentator Anatol Țaranu.

Under the Electoral Code, the decision concerning the number of polling stations established outside the country is taken based on three criteria: number of persons who preregistered for elections, voter turnout at the previous national elections and embassies’ official data about number of Moldovans who settled abroad.