(UPDATE 21:00) Till this hour, 36 818 citizens eligible to vote were recorded. The rate of the presence is the following one

Bălţi - 35.07% - 35.580 citizens 

Suburbs- 30.97% - 1.239 citizens

(UPDATE 20:00) 216.055 citizens eligible to vote were recorded till this hour. The rate of the people who came to vote is the following one:

- Botanica - 35,16%, 48.142 citizens 

- Buiucani - 34,22%, 31.509 citizens

- Centru - 35,93%, 25.997 citizens

- Ciocana - 33,50%, 31.943 citizens

- Râșcani - 36,31%, 42.940 citizens

- Suburbs - 29,62%, 35.524 citizens

35.927 citizens eligible to vote from Balti were registered till this hour. The presence at the polling stations was the following one:

Bălţi - 34.23% - 34.722 citizens.

Suburbs - 30.12%  - 1.205 citizens.

(UPDATE 19:00) 201.256 citizens eligible to vote were recorded at this hour. The presence rate on each sector:

- Botanica - 32.88% - 45.010 citizens

- Buiucani - 31.87% - 29.334 citizens

- Centru - 33.33% - 24.099 citizens

- Ciocana - 31.12% - 29.663 citizens

- Râșcani - 33.95% - 40.140 citizens

- Suburbs - 27.52% - 33.010 citizens

(UPDATE 18:30)  194.006 residents eligible to vote recorded till this hour in Chisinau.  The presence rate in each district:
- Botanica - 31,73% - 43.322  citizens

- Buiucani - 30, 72% - 28.191 citizens

- Centru - 32,15% - 23.178 citizens

- Ciocana - 29,91% - 28.420 citizens

- Râșcani - 32,78% - 38.655 citizens

- Suburbiile - 26,50% - 31.680 citizens

(CEC press release) At 6 pm the participation rate at the elections is the following one: 

•  Chișinău – 29,02 % - 184.189 citizens.

• Bălți – 30,18 % - 31.818 citizens.

• Leușeni village, Hîncești district – 30,8 %

• Nemțeni village, Hîncești district – 32,55 %

• Jora de Mijloc village, Orhei district– 48,23 %

• Volovița village, Soroca district– 40,35 %

• Pîrlița village,  Ungheni district– 33,59 %

(UPDATE 18:00)  185.343 citizens eligible to vote recorded at this hour. Presence rate on each sector:

- Botanica - 30.45% - 41.671 citizens

- Buiucani - 29.32% - 26.981 citizens

- Centru - 30.79% - 27.219 citizens

- Ciocana - 28.56% - 27.219 citizens

- Râșcani - 31.29% - 36.978 citizens

- Suburbiile - 25.22% - 30.236 citizens

(UPDATE 18:00) The presence to vote on age categories:

Aged between 18 and 25: 9.000 citizens

Aged between  26 and 40: 40.301 citizens

Aged between  41 and 55: 42.350 citizens

Aged between  56 and 70:  63.137 citizens

71 and more: 20.556 citizens

(UPDATE 17:00) The presence rate on each sector:

- Botanica - 27% - 38.300 citizens

- Buiucani - 26,84% - 24.897 citizens

- Centru - 28,34% - 20.480 citizens

- Ciocana - 26,07% - 24.850 citizens

- Râșcani - 28,59% - 33.751 citizens

- Suburbiile - 22,89 % - 27.438 citizens

(UPDATE 16:15) The presence rate on each sector:

- Botanica - 25%

- Buiucani - 24,2%

- Center - 25,34%

- Ciocana - 23,26%

- Râșcani - 25,66 %

- Suburbiile - 20,3 %

(16:15) presence to vote:

Aged between 18 and 25 - 7.894 %

Aged between 26 and 40 - 32.873 %

Aged between 41 and 55 - 36,183 %

Aged between 56 and 70  - 56,035 %

over 71 years old -  12,616 %

(UPDATE 16:00) At this hour, 153 600 voted in Chisinau, which represents 24,24% of the eligible and 26 600 citizens voted in Balti, which represents  25,3% of the eligible.

(UPDATE 15:30) At this hour in Bălţi, the voter turnout is 24%, which represents 25,350 voters.

The number of voters presenting at the ballot boxes in Chisinau is 146,550, 23.11%

(UPDATE 15:00) 139,000 citizens voted in Chisinau, which represents 21.91% of the eligible. 
In Balti, 23,890 people or 22,7% of voters included in the basic lists voted.

(UPDATE 14:00) 123,146 citizens have been present at the polls in the capital. 21,390 people voted in Bălţi.

(UPDATE 13:33) According to representatives of the Chişinău District Electoral Council, most voters are aged between 56 and 70 years - 40,437 people, plus 14,157 voters aged over 71 years old.

Young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who came to the polls are only 3,975. Voters aged between 26 and 40 stood at 19,099 in the polls. The number of people aged 41-55 and presenting themselves in the polls is 23,393.

(UPDATE 13:00) 103,070 voters, 16.27%, were present at the ballot boxes in the capital. The most active are women, the participation rate being 53.95%, men- 46.05%.

In Balti, before 13:00, 16,427 persons voted, accounting 15.61%.

(UPDATE 12:30) The voters registered until now are 92, 380, reaching 14.67%. 

In Balti, 15,953 people participated in the voting, making up 15.16% of expected number. 

(UPDATE 12:00) 79,200 voters went to the polls until this hour, accounting for 12.53% of voters with voting rights in the capital.

(UPDATE 12:00) At Bălţi, 12,672 people were present at the ballot box, 12.05%.

(UPDATE 11:30) until 11:30, 66,977 citizens exercised the right to vote, which represents 10.58% of expected voters. 

(UPDATE 11:30) At this hour in Bălţi, the voter turnout is 11.44%.

(UPDATE 11:00) 54,117 voters have voted in Chisinau municipality, or 8.55% of expected voters. The participation rate of women against men is 51.88% - 48.12%.

(UPDATE 11:00) In Bălţi, 6,201 people, or 5.9%, were present at the ballot box. The most active are women, the participation rate being 54.01%, men- 45.99%.

(UPDATE 10:30) 43,461 voters went to the polls until this hour, that is, 6,87% of voters with the right to vote in the capital.

Up to this hour 6,201 voters came to the polls in Bălţi, or 5.9% of expected voters. 

(UPDATE 10:00) By 10:00, 31,121 voters came to the polls, or 4.92% of people on the base lists.

The highest presence is registered in the Botanica sector - 5.35% and the lowest in the suburbs - 4.14%.

Data provided by the CEC show that men are more active than women, with the ratio being 50.34% at 49.66%.

(UPDATE 09:30) 2,221 voters have cast their votes in Balti, accounting for 2.11 percent. 

(UPDATE 09:30) 22,533 voters went to the polls until this hour in Chisinau, 3.6% of expected voters.

(UPDATE 09:00) At the moment, 16,023 inhabitants of the Capital, 2.57 percent of expected voters, have presented at the polls. 

(UPDATE 08:32) Former Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoacă casts his vote: I voted for a proper relationship of the mayor with his voters. That is why we came to the elections to put an end to usurpation and to continue the European development of Chisinau.

(UPDATE 08:26) According to the CEC, at 7:00, all 375 polling stations set up for this ballot were opened. The voting process started according to the electoral procedures stipulated in the regulation on the activity of the polling station electoral bureaus.

Altogether for the new local elections held today in 7 localities in the country, 749,272 voters were enrolled in the electoral rolls.

By 7:45 the voter turnout constituted:

Chişinău - 0.73%
Bălţi - 0,89%
Leuşeni, Hancesti district - 1.4%
Nemteni village, Hincesti district - 1.41%
Jora de Mijloc, Orhei district - 2.99%
Volovita, Soroca district - 1.52%
Pârlita, Ungheni district - 0.78%

The voting process started according to the established procedure, without incidents.

Today, local elections are taking place in Chisinau, Balti, Leuseni and Nemteni, Hincesti, Volovita, Soroca, Jora de Mijloc, Orhei rayon and Pirlitza, Ungheni district.

For the electoral race, the district electoral councils registered 30 candidates.

(UPDATE 07:25) Persons who, for reasons of health or other reasons, can not go to the polling station may vote at the place of their stay. On the election day, requests for a mobile ballot box may be made in writing until 15.00 if a medical certificate is presented.

(UPDATE 07:15) The polling stations have already opened their doors and are waiting for the voters.

(07:11) New local elections will be held today in seven localities in the country. Both the inhabitants of the capital and the city of Balti will vote for the future mayors.

For the elections to be considered valid, at least 25 percent of the number of people entered on the electoral roll must be at the polls.

If none of the 11 candidates accumulate at least half of the voters' votes, in two weeks, on June 3, the second round will take place.

According to the CEC, 22.5 million lei was allocated for the elections in Chisinau and Balti municipalities.

11 candidates craved the mayor's office of the capital, which remained free in February, after Dorin Chirtoaca's resignation. Most of them, namely 10, are members of political parties. Only one candidate runs independently.

The first in the ballot paper is the president of the Party Home Democracy, Vasile Costiuc. He is 36 years old, graduated from the faculty of history of the Ion Creangă Pedagogical University, and in 2011 he founded the his party.

Next on the list is PPDA leader Andrei Năstase. He is 42 years old, married and has three children. The profession is a lawyer. He started his politic career in 2015.

Another candidate for the mayor's office is Alexandr Roșco, a member of the Our House Moldova Party, who is a lawyer.

On behalf of the Liberal Party, former deputy and minister of the environment, Valeriu Munteanu, is running. He is 37, married and has four daughters. He has studied in Romania and is licensed in law.

The former PSRM municipal councilor, Ion Ceban, born in 1980, enrolled in the race. He graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the State University of Moldova and the Academy of Public Administration attached to the President of the Russian Federation. He is married and has two children.

Another registered candidate is Victor Strătilă, member of the Ecological Green Party. Previously, he served as Vice President of the National Integrity Council. Strătilă is 50 years old and is a legal practitioner.

Businesswoman Alexandra Can, wants to become mayor and deputy chairman of the National Liberal Party. She is an economist and in 1999 she held the position of Minister of Industry and Commerce.

The youngest candidate at the City Hall of Chisinau is Maxim Brăila, 25 years old. He was proposed by the People's Party of Moldova. At the age of 18 he ran for the position of counselor in the Chisinau Municipal Council, from the same party.

The only independent candidate is former interim mayor of the capital Silvia Radu. Born in 1972, Silvia Radu was president of Union Fenosa during the years 2008 - 2015 and participated in the presidential elections two years ago. She is married and has three children.

And the Russian-Slavic Party of Moldova proposed Alexandru Mîțu. He is originally from the Rezina district. Since 1995, he has settled in Russia, where he runs a construction company.

The last one in the ballot is the candidate from the National Unity Party, Constantin Codreanu, who since 2016 is a member of the Romanian Parliament. He is 36 years old and is a graduate of English and French Philology and is a Master in Social Sciences.

PUBLIKA.MD will follow all day the election and will come with information minute by minute.