Gagauz CEC dismisses reports about vote recount

The Supreme Court of Justice didn't order the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Gagauz Autonomy to recount ballots, but only to allow the representatives of gubernatorial hopeful Nikolai Dudoglo to verify the electoral rolls – Valentina Lisnic, deputy head of the Gagauz CEC, has told Info-Prim Neo. “It was not a vote recount. This was not even examined by the Supreme Court of Justice. The representatives of Nikolai Dudoglo, the candidate for the post of Gagauzia's bashkan, only scrutinize the primary and secondary electoral rolls, and the lists of voters who cast ballots elsewhere than at the polling stations”, said Valentina Lisnic. “The Supreme Court of Justice has already assembled for four times over this issue and it has never discussed a vote recount. The verification of the electoral rolls will last until March 18, after which the Supreme Court will hold another sitting on this case”. Earlier this month, press reports appeared saying the Supreme Court had ordered a vote recount in the recent gubernatorial election in Gagauzia, in which Comrat Mayor Nikolai Dudoglo lost by a narrow margin to re-elected Governor Mihail Formuzal. Dudoglo's supporters have challenged the outcome, complaining of “massive fraud”.