About 717,000 voters cast ballots by 1:00 p.m.

Chișinău, Oct 20 /MOLDPRES/- About 717,000 voters cast ballots by 1:00 p.m. The preliminary turnout for the referendum is 16.14%. Central Electoral Commission (CEC) head Angelica Caraman made the statement today.

At the 30 polling stations established for citizens with voting rights in the localities on the left bank of the Dniester, over 6,600 voters cast their votes.

"In the polling stations opened abroad, over 67,000 citizens voted by this hour. As of 1:00 PM, all polling stations set up in Europe and Asia are operational. At 2:00 PM, the 22 polling stations in the United States and Canada will open," said Caraman.

Given that the increasing number of photos of voters with completed ballots appearing on social media, the CEC emphasizes the following aspects. According to the Contravention Code, photographing or publicly displaying a completed ballot is punishable by a warning or a fine ranging from 12 to 30 conventional units (from 600 to 1,500 lei). So, the CEC has called on voters to show responsibility and integrity and not to publicly display photos of their ballots.

Additionally, the CEC was informed by the General Police Inspectorate about the registration of seven cases of photographing ballots. Other violations or incidents include: six cases of prohibited electoral agitation, three cases of unauthorized electoral display, two cases of organized transportation of voters, three situations of reasonable suspicion of voter bribery, one case of multiple persons in the voting booth, and over ten other cases involving various violations of the electoral process.

In all cases, the observing agents are conducting activities to collect and administer evidence to establish the reported facts.