8/7 Tass 215
CHISINAU, July 8 (Itar-Tass) —— A court has confirmed the outcome of the Chisinau mayoral election held on June 19.
The Balti Court of Appeals said on Friday that the election was won by incumbent Mayor, Liberal Party representative Dorin Chirtoaca.
The opposition Party of Communists, which lodged the appeal, said that the victory of its representative, Igor Dodon, ‘was stolen’ and they would appeal the court ruling.
“The court ruling is biased. It was made under the pressure of the authorities. As far as we know, Liberal Party leader Mihai Ghimpu, whose nephew Chirtoaca is, personally called every judge. We presented information about numerous election violations to the court but the information was disregarded,” Dodon told reporters.
Dodon was almost 2% ahead of his rival in the first round of the election on June 5. He led again in the second round until the very last moment, when the Central Elections Commission received reports from Chisinau suburbs almost of all of whose residents voted for Chirtoaca.
The Party of Communists said that the election was falsified. The Chisinau Court acknowledged Chirtoaca as the winner on June 23, and the Communists said they wanted a court hearing in a place other than Chisinau, whose judges they did not trust. The Supreme Court of Justice said that the case would be heard at the Balti Court of Appeals.