alegeri.md

On March 2, the “Pentru Neam si Tara (For Nation and Country)” Political Party and citizen Railean Victor applied to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) for registration as electoral contestants. After casting lots, CEC established their preliminary order in the ballot paper as follows: Railean Victor is the No.15 candidate and the “Pentru Neam si Tara” Political Party is the No. 16.

Twenty-four independent candidates could participate in the parliamentary elections this year, says CEC Secretary Iurie Ciocan. He was quoted as saying by Infotag that 24 citizens have asked subscription lists from CEC to collect signatures supporting their candidacies. Ciocan recalled that under legislation in force, people willing to stand for the Parliament must collect between 2,000 and 2,500 signatures in their favour. In accordance with electoral legislation, those willing to participate in elections shall apply a month before the polls, and March 5 is the deadline in this case. So far, two independent candidates, the member of the Balti Municipal Council, Sergiu Banari, and the chairman of the Helsinki-Moldova Committee for Human Rights, Stefan Uritu, have been registered. An independent candidate must garner at least 3 percent of the valid votes to enter the Parliament. (Source: Infotag)

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) recalls that applications on accreditation of observers to the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections will be accepted until March 30. Following documents must be submitted for accreditation of observers: an official letter by the applicant institution; a copy of statute and registration certificate (for nongovernmental organisations) of the applicant institution; a copy of identity documents of persons to be accredited; identity photos 3x4 of persons to be accredited as international observers (for credentials). The dossier comprising original documents must be sent to 119 V. Alecsandri, Chisinau municipality, MD-2012, Republic of Moldova. It may also be sent by mail to info@cec.md or fax + 373 22 234047. (Source: CEC press release)

Moldova-1, the TV Broadcaster funded by taxpayers, advantages certain electoral contestants who represent the governing as a rule, and disadvantages others, particularly representatives of the political opposition. The private TV stations N4 and NIT are doing the same. This is a conclusion of the second monitoring report covering 9 Moldovan television stations, conducted by the Electronic Press Association APEL and released on Monday, March 2. TV channels Pro TV, TV7, TVC21 and less Eu TV generally respect the professional news standards. This is the first monitoring report covering the 9 broadcasters in the electoral campaign, after APEL has released a similar report on their conduct in the pre-electoral period. Reporters assess that two out of three national-coverage TV channels, Prime and 2Plus, refused to cover the electoral campaign. President Vladimir Voronin was the most mediated political player and the Party of Communists was the most mediated institutionalised player in the first two weeks of the electoral campaign.

The Popular Republican Party (PPR) raises concern with the defaming and denigrating campaign against itself, its leader and the Centrist Union of Moldova, party that PPR has decided to support at elections, launched by media outlets controlled by the acting governing, particularly by the allegedly public TV station Moldova-1. In particular, on February 27, Moldova-1 aired a reportage within its news programme Mesager misinterpreting statements by PPR leader Nicolae Andronic regarding Moldova’s relations with CIS delivered during the broadcast “Cabinetul din Umbra (Shadow Cabinet)” by the online TV channel Jurnal TV. PPR will demand the right to reply and will signal these violations to competent bodies. (Source: PPR press release)

In order to avoid accusations that they use service cars during the electoral campaign, communist dignitaries have resorted to an artifice. Governors have changed the numbering plates of four governmental cars with the support of the Ministry of Information Development and Motor Base of the Government, and they drive them to carry electoral leaflets nationwide. (Source: Jurnal de Chisinau)

The Congress of Civic Society made of unknown nongovernmental organisations has grouped the 28 political parties from Moldova into three teams. Congress member Fiodor Ghelici said that the first team is made of the Party of Communists, the Centrist Union and the Christian Democratic People’s Party. The second team is made of the Moldova Noastra Moldova and the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, and the third team includes the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Moldova. They painted political leaders gearing carts on three pictures. “The first picture features PCRM leader Vladimir Voronin and UCM leader Vasile Tarlev drawing a cart together, as… Tarlev is a project of the communists. Smiling PPCD leader Rosca sits down in the cart, as he is always well on Voronin’s shoulders,” Ghelici noted. He stressed that PLDM leader Vladimir Filat and AMN leader Serafim Urechean are drawing together the same cart because both of them are ardent enemies of the communists. PD leader Dumitru Diacov and PSD chairman Dumitru Braghis are drawing another chart “with 5 km/h”. The PL only has no cart, as Ghelici continued, “this party will bring the country to a civil war and conflicts among people in Moldova.” (Source: Infotag)

The Liberal Party (PL) tabled Monday at a press conference a new Transnistrian settlement initiative. PL deputy chairman Dorin Chirtoaca said that three preconditions should be fulfilled for this purpose: 1) Moldova must self-ensure energy independence; 2) avoid excessive foreign monopoly on important sectors of economy; 3) make conditions for the rule of law to function well in Moldova. The first two preconditions are linked to Russia, on which Moldova is dependent in energy and economic terms and this makes it vulnerable in the Transnistrian settlement dialogue. The third precondition is necessary to make the right bank of the Dniester more attractive for people from the left bank. As well, PL recommends to replace the existing negotiation format “5+2” with a “7” format for the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, so that to turn the US and EU, observers of the resolution process into full-right parties. (Sources: Deca-press; Omega)

Unidentified persons destroyed four electoral billboards of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) early on March 1, 2009. According to PLDM representatives, all four billboards were destroyed in the Buiucani district of the Chisinau municipality near the Pedagogical University I. Creanga and Alba Iulia Street. PLDM chairman Vlad Filat stated he holds “enough evidence that policemen have destroyed the PLDM billboards.” “We have fixed the police car which carried the persons who destroyed the billboards. We are making the necessary checking and release the evidence. The message we are sending to society troubles them too much,” Filat added. (Source: Unimedia)

The Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD) has assumed ten commitments in front of electors, which it intends to fulfil the next four years. According to a special newsletter published by this party during the electoral campaign, the No.1 priority is to open 150,000 jobs after starting building works at the Proute-European thoroughfare on Giurgiulesti-Criva route; 20,000 new jobs after opening the network of national highways and local roads; 100 new jobs by building 15 industrial parks, etc. The No.2 commitment is to raise the average wage on economy up to 420 Euros. Ensuring a 7-percent annual economic growth is the No.3 commitment. Other commitments of PPCD are: concrete steps forward European integration; strategic partnerships with Romania and Ukraine; anti-corruption fight and judicial reform; modern agriculture; sustainable rural and urban development; peaceful resolution of the Transnistrian conflict; promoting family and supporting youth; legislative and constitutional reform. (Source: Infotag)

The problem of combatants will become a basic preoccupation of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) once it gets the ruling, says AMN first deputy chairman Veaceslav Untila. Untila, former active participant in the Transnistrian conflict, delivered such a statement on Monday, March 2, on the 17th anniversary of the conflict. He noted that “none of Moldovan governments knew to take care about those who sacrificed themselves for the country.” “I assure you that the situation will change when my party will get the rule, when we will hold real levers of influence. The problem of victims of the Dniester conflict will be part of our basic preoccupations, and you, true patriots, will be given your due,” Untila promised. (Source: Infotag)

Gheorghe Ionel, mayor of the village of Vorniceni, the rayon of Straseni, was arrested on Friday in front of the Straseni District Tribunal, which awarded him victory in a case. Veaceslav Untila, first deputy chairman of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN), to which Ionel is a member, told a press conference on Monday that nobody knows why the mayor was held and his whereabouts. The party tried to learn from the Centre for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (its officers have allegedly operated the arrest) the whereabouts of Gheorghe Ionel, but failed. Untila claims that Ionel “has been harassed by governing for two years.” The mayor was initially accused of trafficking in human beings and then of abuse of authority. In that period, the police have held Ionel for about half a year. Last week, the Chisinau Court of Appeal and the Straseni Tribunal acquitted Ionel in both cases, but the police held him again. (Source: Deca-press)

The National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) has forewarned the four mobile telephony operators to respect the electoral legislation. Thus, ANRCETI met an instruction by the Central Electoral Commission after the latter has considered an appeal signalling electioneering via mobile telephony. The CEC appeal says that in the event electioneering messages are sent via mobile telephony networks at the demand of electoral contestants, operators shall respect the Election Code and the regulation on media coverage of the electoral campaign for the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections. Under Article 47 of the Election Code, the electoral advertising online and via mobile telephony is assimilated to electoral advertising in printed media. Under Article 27 of the regulation concerned, any article by electoral contestants in printed media shall be published in the column “Elections 2009” and shall be mentioned “paid from electoral fund” of the competitor concerned. (Source: Moldpres)

On March 1, the Social Democratic Party celebrated the first day of spring nationwide together with people. It installed electoral pavilions in all district centres, cities, with party activists, young people with white-red handkerchiefs and coats gave March amulets to people and greeted them over spring’s arrival. Tens of thousands of people worn the spring symbol. The March amulet is the symbol of national rebirth, renovation and the PDS symbol, too. (Source: PSD press release)