alegeri.md

One more confirmation of Moldova’s discriminating policy towards Russian mass media has been the outrageous prohibition for D. Kiselev, the general director of the Rossiya Segodnia international news agency and TV host, and for A Kondrashov, journalists for VGTRK [Russian public broadcasting company], to enter the territory of Moldova for 5 years. Authorities did not provide any articulate and legally transparent reasons for this decision. Earlier, upon arrival in Chisinau, a filming crew of VGTRK, headed by A. Balitski, which was going to Gagauzia to cover the upcoming elections, was expelled from the country.

It appears that Moldova, unsatisfied with the “cleansing” of its national media space of popular Russian-language televisions, decided to follow Ukraine’s way, importing from its neighbor an arsenal of “sanctions” as measures to fight against Russian journalists. Such restrictive measures can be considered nothing but a trampling of fundamental human rights and freedoms, which Chisinau interprets in its own manner, while declaring its adherence to European democratic values.

We expect that the outrageous violations of international commitments to ensure freedom of speech, committed by the Republic of Moldova, will be properly assessed by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media D. Mijatović and by other multilateral human rights institutes. // mid.ru

Moldovan Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici commented on the prohibition to enter the territory of Moldova for the Russian journalists who were going to Gagauzia to cover the upcoming elections.

“I discussed this issue with representatives of the Information and Security Service and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. The main argument or reason is the lack of accreditation to work in Moldova,” Gaburici said.

On Wednesday, in the evening, a filming crew of Rossia 24 television was not allowed to enter Moldova. // newsmoldova.md

The issue about the removal of electoral banners on the day of elections raised heated discussions at the Central Electoral Commission of Gagauzia. In the end, it was decided that the prohibition of campaigning on the day of elections would not cover online advertising and the billboards placed earlier. // gagauzmedia.md

The Central Electoral Commission of Gagauzia has checked the electoral lists for the city of Comrat and erased the doubled names. The announcement came from CEC Deputy Chairman Oxana Nedealco. Thus, 150 “clones” were excluded from the lists.

On 13 March, the CEC recommended district electoral bureaus to verify the lists, after Ivan Sari, the acting head of the Comrat district, received a complaint about violations. // gagauzmedia.md

The Central Electoral Commission of Gagauzia referred Irina Vlah’s complaint about the actions of her opponents to law enforcement authorities.

Vlah appealed to court and to the autonomy’s Central Electoral Commission, claiming that her rivals for the position of Bashkan, interested in discrediting her, had been distributing in Vulcanesti electoral leaflets with a content that “is contrary to all moral and legal standards.”

According to Vlah, only one of her opponents, Nicolai Dudoglo, has the necessary resources to distribute such leaflets. // gagauzinfo.md

The electoral campaign for the elections of the Bashkan of Gagauzia has been calm and without serious incidents, says Mihail Formuzal, the current head of the autonomy. According to him, “the electoral campaign in Gagauzia has been generally calm, as planned, without serious provocations or incidents.”

Mihail Formuzal expressed his satisfaction with the work of the Central Electoral Commission of Gagauzia and with its collaboration with the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova. The current Bashkan is also glad that the central authorities did not interfere with the electoral campaign. // gagauzinfo.md

Some youth activists of Gagauzia declared on Friday about their support for independent candidate for Bashkan Irina Vlah.

The participants of a press conference at the Novosti-Moldova news agency, Nina Dimoglo, Tatiana Lisiuc, Serghei Caraterzi, and Marina Peioglo, noted that “various opinion polls conducted during the electoral campaign showed that at least 55% of Gagauz residents are ready to vote for Irina Vlah.” “No other candidate for Bashkan has ever received such a high level of trust,” Nina Dimoglo said.

The participants of the press conference appealed to Gagauz residents to come to voting places on Sunday, 22 March, and “cast votes for Irina Vlah as the most deserving candidate for Bashkan.” // newsmoldova.md