Soroca PPR councillors accuse PCRM of buying votes for electing district administration

The Soroca district councillors representing the Republican People’s Party (PPR) accuse the Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM) of buying votes and of pressurizing the councilmen into electing representatives of the ruling party to the district administration. At a news conference on October 1, the councillors Igor Cebotari and Ilie Manea denied President Vladimir Voronin’s assertions that the “Our Moldova” Alliance bought councilmen’s votes to elect a district head representing the given party. The two said that not the Opposition but the Communists bought the votes. At the conference they presented a document signed by them and representatives of the PCRM on June 22. According to the document, Cebotari and Manea were to vote for the Communist candidates for leading posts in the district in exchange for the PCRM’s commitment to provide them with a license for the Cosauti Quarry. Cebotari and Manea said they were forced to sign the document because both of them work at the Quarry and considered that its fate was in their hands. A representative of the Oppositions was elected as head of Soroca district, while the Cosauti Quarry received a license several weeks ago, when the state become the majority shareholder in the Quarry.