Moldovan electoral body bans Balti city hall to spread, distribute advertising materials

Chisinau, 25 August /MOLDPRES/ - The Central Electoral Commission (CEC), at a today’s meeting, banned the spread and distribution of news bulletins, TRANSPARENT CITY HALL, elaborated by the Balti city hall. CEC obliged the local authority, as well as the distributors involved in the process of sperad to ensure their elimination from the public space.     

The decision by the CEC members comes in the context of a notification submitted by the Hope Movement of Moldova, which invokes alleged illegal actions by the mayor of the Balti municipality. The notification’s author invoked the use of administrative resources and elements of hidden electoral agitation in the elaboration of news bulletins and the distribution of their printed version at residents’ homes in post boxes.        

Following the consideration of the content of the advertising materials put down in the notification, the Commission found out that they did not refer to problems of the community, to aspects on the prevention or combating of corruption, but only to the progress made by the Balti city hall. The Commission concluded that they contained elements of electoral agitation and that they were produced, distributed and spread with the direct and indirect use of administrative resources.      

Thus, taking into account the new norms in the field of the spread of public interest messages, as well as the deeds established during the notification’s consideration, the Commission will submit the decision to the government and State Chancellery, in order to be communicated to the local and central public administration authorities, so as not to allow similar infringements, as well as to boost efforts to create the Council on public interest messages. Taking into account the fact that, in the process of consideration, CEC established elements of use of administrative resources which involved public human, logistic and financial resources, the decision will also be submitted to the Court of Accounts, Finance Ministry, National Anticorruption Centre and Interior Ministry for informing and, as case may be, for the adoption of the measures needed.   

Photo: CEC