Illustrative stock photo (source: Milan Drozd, TASR)
The district court in Prešov issued a ruling against Andrej Vaňo, a 43-year-old member of the municipal council who stole the ballot box in Medzany on March 16, causing the prolongation of the moratorium.
He was sentenced to one year imprisonment with a two-year conditional postponement, the TASR newswire reported.
Ballots scattered on street
Vaňo went to the polling station on election night and took the ballot box. He subsequently ran out onto the street and threw it to the ground. The box fell apart and the ballots were scattered.
He was arrested and underwent a breathanalyser test. His blood-alcohol level stood at 2 parts per thousand.
He was charged on March 17 with the crime of obstructing the preparation and the course of an election or referendum, TASR wrote.
The election result was not affected by the incident, said Eduard Bárány, chair of the State Election Commission, but the moratorium had to be prolonged until 23:16.
He gave up his mandate
Meanwhile, Vaňo gave up his mandate on the municipal council on March 18, where he sat for the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO). He did so on request of the party, on March 16, shortly after the incident.
“Alcohol influenced my behaviour and for that moment, I acted rashly,” Vaňo said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
He is aware of his wrongdoing and the effect it had. He also apologised for his behaviour and to OĽaNO.
