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Promo-LEX mission found organized voter transportation cases


https://www.ipn.md/index.php/en/promo-lex-mission-found-organized-voter-transportation-cases-8006_1068988.html

At least nine cases of organized transportation of voters were reported at 13:30 by the Promo-LEX Association observers. The cases were registered at national polling stations and in the city of Iași in Romania, where snap parliamentary elections for the 50th electoral district take place. Voters were transported via coaches, minibuses or other transport units that should not find themselves around polling stations.

In an IPN press conference, the head of the Promo-LEX Observation Mission of the snap parliamentary and general local elections set for October 20, Pavel Postica, said that a case of organized transportation of voters was registered at polling station no 36/46 UTAG, Cișmichioi. A 8-9 seat white minibus was observed approaching the polling station 4 different times with different groups of  voters. The observer overheard how voters were told that "the reward will be provided later".

Other cases of organized transportation of voters were observed at polling station no 32/6 Ștefan Voda, Antonești, as well as at the polling station no 2/1, Bălti. At polling station no 48/20 Căușeni, Hagimus, a voter told an observer that transport units with voters arrive every hour from Bender. According to the electoral bureau chairman, these transport units were parking a hundred meters from the station, thus he had no mandate to intervene.

Voter transportation was also observed at polling station no 48/19 Căușeni, Hagimus, where minibuses from Bender were parked within a hundred meters. Each minibus transported ten persons. The electoral bureau chairperson said that he cannot ban them from voting. A similar situation occurred at polling station no 15/1, Dubăsari, Cocieri, where voters were transported with two minibuses. The chairperson was aware of the issue, while the voters said that they were from the neighboring settlement, yet were registered at this polling station.

Pavel Postica said that similar cases occurred in the uninominal constituency 48, at the polling station 48/11,12, in the Transnistrian region. Around 10:00, at a ten minute interval from each other, two minibuses from Bender parked near the station. Each transport unit carried 15-20 people who voted, then left with the same minibuses.

In the uninominal constituency no 50, Romania, Iași, a group of about 11 persons entered the polling station. After voting, the group members showed their passports to an observer on behalf of an electoral contestant. In the same settlement, at polling station no 50/62, a group of about eight people voted, then took the Iași-Balți minibus, while being monitored by observers.

Promo-LEX has 307 observers in Chișinău, 59 in Balți and 12 in Comrat. Another 369 observers are stationed at regional polling stations throughout the country. There are 48 observers in the uninominal constituency 48 and 12 in the uninominal electoral district 50, which is abroad.