Moldovan electoral body's president says all polling stations opened

Chisinau, 3 November /MOLDPRES/ - All polling stations from Moldova, including 30 ones opened for the residents on the left bank of Dniester, started working today at 7:00. The president of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Angelica Caraman, has unveiled information to this effect at a news briefing. She assured that ‘’the institution fulfilled all conditions as to the holding of the ballot, so that each citizen freely exercises his/her right to vote.’’   

Angelica Caraman stressed that over 23,000 electoral civil servants were involved in the good carrying out of the elections. ‘’The runoff election is held in the same conditions as the first round of the ballot. Thus, 2,707,641 voters are registered in the basic electoral lists. The ballot papers were printed in the following languages: Romanian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Russian, Gagauz and Romany. The overall number of ballot papers stood at 3,659,696,’’ Angelica Caraman said.  

Abroad, the citizens with right to vote are expected to come to those 228 polling stations which opened or which are to be opened during the day, depending on the state’s local time.   

„Till 8:00, the voting process is in full swing at 38 polling stations from Japan, China, India, Azerbaijan, United Aram Emirates, Belarus, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Israel, Romania and Ukraine.  Another 135 ballot papers from the Central and Western Europe meanwhile started their activity,’’ Caraman noted.  

In the case of those three polling stations meant for the vote by correspondence, the envelopes with the voting options have been already received, as the process of vote by correspondence ended on 31October, at 18:00. For the runoff election, 1,447 envelopes with ballot papers were received on term. They will be opened after the end of the voting process, at the local time 21:00 of the states where these polling stations are organized.

The today’s ballot will be monitored by over 2,400 observers accredited by CEC. The citizens who for health reasons or other circumstances, cannot move to the polling station, can ask for the mobile ballot box till 14:00 today, upon the presentation of a medical certificate.  

The voters, both of Moldova and from abroad, can vote based on the following acts: valid identity card, provisional identity card; passport of Moldova’s citizen, including with expired validity term.  

Also, the Public Services Agency works in special regime starting from 7:00 till 21:00, in order to issue, upon request, temporary identity cards and the earlier requested identity cards will be handed.  

The electoral authority warned that any infringement of the secret of vote was punished under the law. Thus, the photographing of the ballot paper, its placement on social networks with the expressed voting option is banned. The taking out of the ballot paper from the polling station or its deterioration, the purloining of the voting stamp and electoral agitation are forbidden too.    

The runoff of the presidential elections takes place in Moldova today. The current President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, backed by the Action and Solidarity Party, and the candidate of the Party of Socialists, Alexandr Stoianoglo, fight for the office of head of state.