[Runoffs for mayor taking place in 471 localities in Moldova] On Sunday, June 17, 471 localities throughout Moldova are holding the second round of mayoral elections. Also on Sunday, repeat mayoral elections are taking place in 6 localities. In addition, repeat elections of local councils are conducted in other 6 localities, and repeat elections of district councils are held in 3 districts. In Chisinau Municipality, voters are expected to cast their ballots to elect the mayor general of the capital, and in 8 suburban settlements – to choose their mayors. The polling stations opened their doors at 7:00am and will remain open until 9pm. Under the recent amendments to the Electoral Code, the elections can be considered valid regardless of the voter turnout rate. [Voter turnout was 1.3% at 9:00 in Chisinau] At 9:00 am the voter turnout in the runoff election for Chisinau mayor’s office was 1.3%, according to the information published by the Chisinau District Election Council. As usual, the most active voters were the residents of the suburbs, where the participation rate at the mentioned hour made up 2%. In the city, the highest turnout rate was recorded in Centru district (1.7%), followed by Rascani district (1.3%), Ciocana (1.2%), Botanica (1.1%) and Buiucani (1%). On June 3, until 9:30, about 2.7 percent of Chisinau voters participated in elections. [Dorin Chirtoaca voted for a change] Dorin Chirtoaca, the candidate for Chisinau mayor on behalf of the Liberal Party (LP) has voted, on June 17, in the second round of local elections, as in the first one, “for a change”. After expressing his political option, Chirtoaca said that he voted “for a change, in order to satisfy the expectations of the Chisinau citizens”. The candidate also voted for “a city where the law would be respected and people could enjoy high quality public services, more civilization and mutual respect, a city where everyone could feel proud of being able to make a family and have a better future”. While the LP candidate has cast his vote in the morning, his family members will do that later. “This was a choice made by the members of my family. My brother, Lucian, is working as an observer at one of the polling stations and he will cast his vote during one of the breaks. My father is currently out of town, but he will come to the polling station a bit later with my mother”, Dorin Chirtoaca explained. [Voter turnout in Chisinau elections was 10.1% at 11:30] Almost 60 thousand Chisinau residents took part in the elections by 11:30 am, which is 10.1% of the total registered voters. Chairman of the Chisinau District Election Council Ion Cretu told Info-Prim Neo that the highest turnout was registered in the suburbs – 12.2%, followed by Centru district – with 10.6%, Rascani and Ciocana districts – 9.8%, Botanica – with 9.3%, and Buiucani – with 8.8%. On June 3, a voter turnout of slightly above 13% was registered by 12:30. By the same hour, 18% of voters took part in the 2003 local elections. In the new elections held in July and November 2005, 9.5% and 6.5% of voters respectively participated by 12:30. [Veaceslav Iordan will return to CFM if he loses Chisinau mayor’s race] Veaceslav Iordan, the candidate for mayor general on behalf of the Party of Communists, came on Sunday morning to the polling station no.25, located on Dacia Blvd – as he said – full of energy and confidence in his ability to win the race. Iordan said that he came to cast his vote after attending the Sunday church service. When asked what he thinks about the post-election capital city, the candidate said the municipality of Chisinau will be a modern and bright city, built in concert with its residents. If he fails to win the mayoral race, Iordan says he will engage in the construction of the Giurgiulesti-Cahul rail line, bearing in mind his professional experience in the given area. “I’m not afraid of responsibilities, because I have served as deputy and interim mayor for some while and I know very well the problems of the city”, he explained. By 11:00 am, the polling station no.25 was visited by as many as 360 voters out of those 2,758 registered in the precinct. The chairman of the station, Valeriu Budnic, says the participation in the second round voting is higher compared with round one. [Chisinau voter turnout was 19% at 2:30pm] By 2:30pm the polling stations in Chisinau Municipality were visited by 19.3% of the total registered voters, Info-Prim Neo learned from the chairman of the Chisinau District Election Council, Ion Cretu. The suburbanites continue to be the most active voters, with a turnout of 23% of the total suburban voters. Among the districts of the city, the highest participation rate is registered in Centru – 20.1%. In other districts the voter turnout ranges from 18 to 18.3%. On June 3, by 3:30pm, the turnout stood at 22.3%, and the final participation rate reached about 37%. By the same hour, in the local elections held in May 2003, about 30% cast their ballots, while in the new elections held in July and November 2005, the turnout, at that hour, was 17% and 13.5% respectively. [About 25% of Chisinau’s residents participated in elections 3.5 hours before polling stations will close] The participation rate of the voters residing in Chisinau was 25.5% at 17.30. This means that 150 thousand persons have voted according to the data provided by the Chisinau District Election Council. As usual, the most active voters are in the suburbs. Centru district is the first in what concerns the activity rate of the voters – 26.5%. It is followed by Rascani – 24.4%, Buiucani – 23.9% and Botanica and Ciocana, where 23.8% of the voters came to the polling stations until the reported hour. On June 3, 29% of the total number of voters came to the polling stations by 18.30. At the same hour, 38% of the citizens having the right to vote participated in the local elections on May 25, 2003. Under the amendments to the Election Code, the low participation rate in the second round is not anymore a reason for annulling the election outcomes. [35% of Chisinau voters took part in second round election] Roughly 35 percent of voters included in the voter rolls in Chisinau municipality participated in the second round of local elections, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the Central Election Commission, after the closure of those 288 polling stations in Chisinau the voter turnout has approached the rate registered in round one, which was nearly 37 percent. After processing the ballots from 29 polling stations, which received on Sunday 19,341 voters, the candidate of the Liberal Party, Dorin Chirtoaca, polled 50.19% of vote, while the communist candidate Veaceslav Iordan – 49.81%. According to preliminary data, in Sangera town 70% of voters voted for Dorin Chirtoaca, and 30% for Veaceslav Iordan. CEC announced that the voter turnout in those 484 localities that held the round II was 43 percent. In Cantemir, the participation rate was 61%, in Donduseni – 63.15%, and Ocnita – nearly 70 percent. [In over half of polling stations Dorin Chirtoaca received by 15% of votes more than Veaceslav Iordan] With 50.18 percent of ballots counted, the candidate of the Liberal Party for Chisinau Mayor General, Dorin Chirtoaca, leads the race with a comfortable 15% bulge, Info-Prim Neo reports. Chairman of the Chisinau District Election Council Ion Cretu told the agency that after processing the results from 143 polling stations, which is slightly more than half of their total number, Dorin Chirtoaca polled 57.82%, while the communist candidate, Veaceslav Iordan, 42.18 percent of the vote. Dorin Chirtoaca told reporters that he already feels a great responsibility for the next four years, which will be full of work for the fulfilment of the promises made in the election campaign. He restated he will be a mayor for every Chisinau resident and said that today, when the victory is so close, the people residing in the capital city are about to enter a new era. [Communists do not manage to win in Chisinau for the seventh time in a row] For the seventh time in a row the Party of Communists does not manage to win the local elections in Chisinau, suffering this time the most significant failure since 2003. The capital city of Moldova has voted for a change, for the candidate of the Liberal Party, Dorin Chirtoaca, running for Chisinau Mayor General, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the chairman of the Chisinau District Election Council, Ion Cretu, after the ballots from 253 polling stations located in those 5 districts of Chisinau were counted, it was found that 108860 persons voted for Dorin Chirtioaca, or 59.12%, for Veaceslav Iordan – 75287, which is 40.88%. At the moment, the quoted source says the ballots from the settlements included in the composition of the municipality of Chisinau were not counted yet. [Quick counts show Chirtoaca polled 60%, Iordan 40%] According to the preliminary results of the quick counts conducted by the 2007 Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, after processing data from 190 polling stations, the PCRM candidate, Veaceslav Iordan, collected 54,971 votes, or 40.19%. Dorin Chirtoaca, PL, garnered 81,794 votes, or 59.80%. This information is contained in a press statement for immediate release, signed by the Coalition 2007 communication coordinator. [Communists unable to conquer Chisinau] The Party of Communists has clearly lost the polls in Chisinau. The difference between the votes collected by the candidate of the Liberal Party, Dorin Chirtoaca, and the candidate of the communists, Veaceslav Iordan, in the runoff local election is 22.34%, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the recent data provided by the Chisinau District Election Council after the votes from all 285 polling stations were counted, 82,653 persons voted for Veaceslav Iordan, or 38.83%, and for Dorin Chirtoaca – 130,181 persons, or 61.17%. “The event is very important. Its impact will be seen especially during the 2009parliamentary elections”, political analysts said during post-elections televised debates. In a TV show, Dorin Chirtoaca said that his desideratum in what concerns the fact that the communists have no chance to win in Chisinau was confirmed. He explained his victory by the unity of the residents of Chisinau and their wish to change things.