Campaign Period for the 5 November General Local Elections Kicks Off

On 7 August, the electoral period for the 5 November general local elections begins with nominating and registering candidates for mayors and local councillors, according to the schedule approved by the Central Electoral Commission. The election campaign itself begins on 6 October, when candidates are allowed to campaign. The schedule for the organisation and conduct of local elections this autumn includes 99 events divided into 12 sections. According to the programme, the election period starts on August 7 and lasts until the day the election results are approved by the competent authorities, but cannot be more than 120 days, CEC Secretary Alexandru Berlinschi noted. “We have different terms when we talk about the second level. Let me remind you that 6 September is the deadline for the nomination of candidates for Chisinau mayor, Balti mayor and candidates for second-level councillors in 32 districts. It is also the deadline for the nomination of candidates for elective posts in first-level constituencies. Candidates for key positions in 896 constituencies can be nominated no earlier than 26 September. On 6 October, the election campaign or pre-election activities will start,” stressed Alexandru Berlinschi. During the election period, first-tier district electoral commissions and precinct electoral offices are created. The Central Election Commission decides on the sample of the ballot paper and stamps used by the electoral bodies. Prior to registering an election contestant, i.e. during the election period, a party, an independent candidate, or an electoral bloc may not organize campaign activities to persuade voters. Candidates may register as an election contestant until 6 October. After they are registered, the pre-election campaign begins, with the aim of encouraging voters to cast their votes for a particular candidate. It should be noted that about 3.3 million voters are registered in the State Register of Voters. Most of them, more than 650,000 people, are in Chisinau municipality, while the least number of registered voters is in Basarabeasca, Dubasari and Donduseni districts, where the number of citizens eligible to vote reaches 30,000. At the moment, several political parties have already presented their candidates for the position of Chisinau mayor, including the National Alternative Movement, the Action and Solidarity Party, the Dignity and Truth Platform, the Party of Development and Consolidation of Moldova, the Coalition for Unity and Prosperity, together with the party “We Build Europe at Home”, PSRM, “Democracy at Home”, the Liberal Party, the Socio-Political Movement  “The League of Cities and Communes” and the European Social Democratic Party. The last general local elections were held in 2019.