President of CEC: 'Elections are valid; process was fair and transparent'
Angelica Caraman, the President of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), confirmed on Sunday evening the validity of the parliamentary elections held on September 28. According to the centralized data, by the time the polling stations closed, 1,596,530 voters had participated, which represents approximately 52% of the citizens registered on the electoral lists.
“According to the Electoral Code, parliamentary elections can be declared valid if at least one third of the number of registered voters participated in them. Under these conditions, the CEC confirms the validity of the election”, stated Angelica Caraman.
The head of the CEC sent a message of gratitude to the citizens who exercised their right to vote, emphasizing that “each ballot represents proof of civic involvement and democratic responsibility”.
“Citizens of the Republic of Moldova, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, status or the country they are in, chose to come to the polls to express their will. Each ballot with the expressed option is more than an exercised right”, pointed out the head of the central electoral authority.
She also thanked the over 24,000 electoral officials, who ensured the smooth conduct of the process in the 2,274 polling stations opened on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
“The electoral process was conducted in conditions of maximum legality, fairness and transparency”, stated Caraman.
Currently, all electoral offices started the procedure of counting the ballots. Caraman said that this stage is carried out “with maximum rigor and accuracy, in strict accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Code”.
The minutes drawn up by the electoral offices will be transmitted through the automated information system “Elections”, which allows for the rapid and transparent publication of data.
According to the CEC, by 9:00 p.m., all polling stations in the country had completed their activity without major incidents or interruptions in the voting flow. The electoral process continues in polling stations in Western Europe and the American continent, where the ballot boxes remain open until the end of the day, depending on the time zone.
Angelica Caraman launched an appeal to electoral competitors to wait for the completion of the counting process and the announcement of the official results.
“In case there are suspicions regarding possible irregularities, these must be contested through legal mechanisms”, the CEC chairperson emphasized.
Caraman assured that the institution she leads will monitor each ballot: “The CEC assures you that each vote will be counted with the same care and responsibility with which it was cast. No ballot will be ignored. The preliminary and final results will accurately reflect the will of the people”.
Angelica Caraman mentioned that, throughout the day, the CEC received several reports regarding irregularities in some polling stations. These include photographing ballots, prohibited electoral campaigning on election day, damage to some ballots, as well as cases of organized transportation of voters and attempted corruption.
Also, situations were reported in which some citizens were not on the basic lists, but were able to vote on additional lists.
“It is important that all voters had the opportunity to vote and exercise their constitutional right”, concluded Angelica Caraman.
