The Central Election Commission (CEC) refused to register the electoral symbol of the “New Historical Option” Party, “PAȘ”, as the brand name “PAS” was officially registered by the Intellectual Property Agency and is the symbol of the Party of Action and Solidarity, IPN reports.

According to CEC president Dorin Cimil, the representative of the “New Historical Option” Party on June 19, 2021 filed an application to the CEC to have the abbreviation “PAȘ”, which was approved at the party’s ninth Congress of May 16, 2021, registered as the electoral symbol that is placed on the ballot.

When examining the application, it was determined that the symbol corresponds to the symbol of the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). The latter informed the CEC that the brand name “PAS” was officially registered by the Intellectual Property Agency and the “New Historical Option” Party’s request to register a similar symbol runs counter to the Election Code.

The representatives of the “New Historical Option” Party said the CEC’s refusal to register their symbol is illegal and groundless as there is a difference between the letters S and Ș that should not be neglected.