New protest against cancellation of local polls held in Moldovan capital

Chisinau, 1 July /MOLDPRES/ - Thousands of people today protested on the Great National Assembly Square from Chisinau, discontented with the definitive cancellation of the new local polls from the Moldovan capital.

The rally was organized by several political formations from Moldova, with the support of the civil society and non-governmental organizations, against the cancellation of local polls, won by the candidate of the Dignity and Truth Platform, Andrei Nastase.

The people who came to protest shouted more slogans, among which “We Do Not Give In!, We Resist!, We are the People!, Unity!, The Country is Ours!, Fair Justice!, Nastase is Mayor!, etc.   

Andrei Nastase, as well as the leader of the Action and Solidarity Party, Maia Sandu, gave speeches at the action. These politicians, along with other speakers urged people to protest peacefully and these protests should be permanent, announcing a “campaign of resistance all over the country.”  

In the end, the protesters adopted a Resolution, in which they announced three claims: validation of the new local elections; cancellation of the mixed voting system and return to the proportional system; dismissal and opening criminal files against the judges who invalidated the polls from the Chisinau municipality. At the same time, the protest’s organizers announced a Great National Assembly, with the participation of the Diaspora, in Chisinau for 26 August.  

After the rally, the protesters marched on Chisinau’s streets. Police, along with other structures of the Interior Ministry, ensured public order and road traffic safety during the entire protest in the centre of the capital.  

On 25 June, magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice maintained the ruling by the Court of Appeal and declared the new local polls from Chisinau as illegal and null, and the mandate of mayor was not validated. The main reason represented lives made on a social network by the elected mayor, Andrei Nastase, on the election day, in which he urged citizens to go to vote. The Central Electoral Commission on 29 June confirmed the invalidation of the local polls from Chisinau and ruled that other elections would not be organized ahead of the general local polls due in 2019.

The local elections were held in two rounds, on 20 May and 3 June. Following the runoff, Andrei Nastase got 52.08 per cent of the Chisinau residents’ votes and his counter-candidate Ion Ceban, - 47.43 per cent.  

(Reporter L. Grubii, editor A. Raileanu)