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The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has approved the income and expenditure statements of electoral contestants for the electoral campaign, in particular, incomes worth 12,357,350.00 lei and expenses in the amount of 9,450,276.15 lei, as for March 3, 2009. CEC forewarned the electoral contestant Moldova Unita Party of Spiritual Development for not tabling the financial report before the deadline set by the Election Code. As well, CEC considered 6 appeals. It turned down 2 of them for being groundless, gave green light to another 2, partly accepted one and postponed one for the next sitting. Therefore, CEC forewarned the TV channels N4 TV and EURO TV Chisinau over the necessity to respect Article 47 of the Election Code and Article 11 of the regulation concerning the media coverage on the electoral campaign. With the purpose to provide electoral bodies with communication (telephone and data transportation) lines, CEC instructed the joint stock society S.A. Moldtelecom to ensure 2nd-level electoral councils with data transportation lines during March 16 — April 7, 2009, and CEC will cover the expenses. (Source: CEC press release)

The Labour Union Patria — Rodina applied Tuesday, March 3 to the Central Electoral Commission for the registration as an electoral contestant to the April 5 parliamentary elections. It could be the No. 17 candidate in the ballot paper. (Source: CEC press release)

The police suspect the Nisporeni-based TV station Albasat TV of not including incomes estimated at 420,000 lei in the bookkeeping record for 2007. The amount was calculated on the basis of the subscription price and overall number of subscribers to the wire network. This information was reported by Iurie Cater, Head of division in the directorate for preventing and combating cybercrimes and transnational offences of the Interior Ministry. Albasat TV director Efim Bardan explained that the station aired via MMDS systems in 2007, before introducing the wire network. “We had many customers who did not pay for services. Now, besides the fact that the station introduced the wire airing, it also broadcasts via this alternative system and all currency we receive is recorded on account. We do not have other additional sources.” Cater said that police officers operated a control on Albasat SRL last week after being appealed by employees of this company, denying any connection with the electoral campaign and noting that similar controls were operated on other channels. (Source: Info-Prim)

The Actiunea Europeana (European Action) Movement (MAE) did not ally with any rightwing political forces which claim to be democratic and pro-European, because they include many members who fall foul of the law. Such a statement was delivered by MAE chairman Anatol Petrenco. He revealed that his party had plans to ally with certain rightwing forces, but attempts have failed because many candidates of those parties are corrupt. Contacted by the radio channel Antena C, Petrenco named two parties, AMN and PLDM, which electoral candidates would be involved in illegal actions. He said that many members of the two parties have got illegal benefits. (Source: Moldpres)

The Moldova Unita (United Moldova) Party seeks equal rights for all political parties in the electoral campaign. Moldova Unita chairwoman Anna Tcaci has told a press conference that her party is discriminated “from all sides”. She signalled a strong pressing on the party by law enforcement bodies. A parliamentary candidate on behalf of Moldova Unita, Constantin Bratunov, said that he was told while travelling to Chisinau that his apartment from Comrat was searched. “The police seized electoral leaflets, documents. They were interested in everything about this party, number of members, activity,” he added. (Source: Infotag)

The former chairman of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC), Eduard Musuc, secretary-general of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), claims that the Liberal Party (PL) is to blame for the unfavourable situation of the Chisinau City Hall. “We have really had an incompetent administration of the Chisinau municipality because PL did not complete the electoral campaign so far. While other parties entered into a normal activity after the local elections, the mayor-general and the former CMC chairman (i.e. Mihai Ghimpu), who leads the PL, have unfortunately set political goals. They regarded the City Hall as a level to enter the Parliament,” Musuc stated. The PSD representative noted that this was the source of obstacles in settling the municipality’s problems. Musuc stressed that after the parliamentary elections, PSD would propose the liquidation of the heating operator SA Termocom and opening of the enterprise Chisinau-Energo instead, which would also include CET 1 and CET 2. The project would cost about 300 million dollars and an investor would be selected to implement it. (Source: Omega / Info-Prim)

The National Youth Council of Moldova and the National Assistance and Information Centre for NGO “Contact” open the itinerant civic education campaign “voTare”. It is held within the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections Coalition-2009 and is part of the project Civic Education Campaign. The project’s goal is to enhance the understanding of electoral process by Moldovan citizens and encourage their participation in the 2009 parliamentary elections. The campaign opens on March 3, 2009 in the rayons of Sangerei and Orhei and will further cover all 32 rayons of the country, including the Administrative Territorial Unit Gagauz-Yeri. More than 180 trained volunteers will disseminate informational, educational and promotional leaflets to people printed by member associations of Coalition-2009. The project Civic Education Campaign is funded by the Eurasia Foundation-Moldova from resources of the Swedish International Development Agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy. (Source: Info-Prim)

A group of members of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD) from the rayon of Criuleni has left the party and joined the Actiunea Europeana (European Action) Movement (MAE). The announcement was made at a press conference. The group is made up of 16 members of primary organisations from Magdacesti, Porumbeni and Cimiseni, the rayon of Criuleni, who have signed a statement on joining MAE. “We are joining MAE to combat the generalised corruption nationwide. We have decided to leave the PPCD camp of Iurie Rosca because of betrayals and artfulness with which the communists lead this party. We think that MAE has the most credible and qualified leading team made of respected and especially honest specialists,” said Andrei Plop, former deputy chairman of the Criuleni-based branch of the PPCD youth organisation New Generation. There were no immediate comments from PPCD to these statements. (Source: Info-Prim)

Members of the Telenesti-based branch New Generation of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD) claim that local representatives of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) including district chairman Boris Burca have threatened and assaulted them while they were disseminating electoral leaflets. The leader of the Telenesti-based New Generation branch, Roman Nicoara, said that the incident took place while he was disseminating electoral leaflets along with a young group to residents of the Vaduleni village. Young people claim that AMN members have assaulted and brutalised them, telling them to leave the locality and “never come back again.” (Source: Deca-Press)

Known Moldovan actor Vitalie Rusu has plans to join the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD), “in order to defend the ‘heart of Iurie Rosca’, targeted by parties of the rich, fops and caitiffs.” He noted that the PPCD “is the trust worthiest and most honest” party and he drew this conclusion after seeing the way the media introduced other leaders of parties. (Source: Flux / Deca-press)

The youth wing of the Moldova Noastra (Our Moldova) Alliance (AMN) protested in front of the Government headquarters on March 3 against failure of the ruling party to fulfil promises of making conditions for professional development of youths. “Where are the 300,000 jobs promised by the communist governing in 2004?” AMN young members wondered. They noted that each second graduate cannot find a job in the studied area and the number of graduates from secondary, elementary schools and colleges has dropped by 20–25 percent in 2001–2008. Protestors shouted anti-communist slogans and carried announcements on their breasts: Graduate, Seeking a Job. By the end of the manifestation, a group of about 20–25 youths held a counter protest. Interviewed by journalists, they acknowledged that supporters of the Party of Communists have paid them. (Source: Info-Prim)

The Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM) led by former premier Vasile Tarlev has signed a cooperation agreement with the Moscow-based organisation of the Yedinaya Rossia (United Russia) Party headed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. The UCM leader said that his party is building partnership relations with parties and organisations from neighbouring countries Ukraine and Romania, as well as from CIS, without waiting for the results of the April 5 elections. Tarlev recalled that his party has already signed cooperation agreements with the Ukrainian Party of Regions led by Victor Yanukovich, the Russian Association of Producers led by Nicolae Rizhkov, the Ukrainian Association of Producers headed by Anatolie Chinah, and the Turkish Association. “We are going to sign a cooperation agreement with the Yedinaya Rossia Party led by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin,” Tarlev added. On the other hand, official representatives of Yedinaya Rossia belied Tarlev’s statements. “We do not have plans to sign such an agreement. The International Relations Directorate of the Central Committee of Yedinaia Rossia does not hold such information,” said Konstantin Petricenko, chief of the International Relations Directorate of Yedinaya Rossia. (Source: Infotag / Omega)

The ongoing electoral campaign is both like and unlike the 2005 campaign, says Veaceslav Untila, first vice-chairman of the Moldova Noastra (Our Moldova) Alliance (AMN). According to Untila, abuses, electoral frauds committed by communists, beginning with illegal use of public broadcasting and administrative resources in electoral campaign and ending with libelling, intimidation, persecution of opponents; unfair, discriminatory electioneering conditions are similar to breaches recorded during the 2005 campaign. The main difference is the fact that political parties from Moldova will show up “undisguised” in front of voters at the April 5 elections, Untila added. (Source: interview published by Infotag Agency)

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has processed residence statements submitted by citizens during February 4–18. Thus, 3,856 electors have declared new residents to local public administrations in order to be able to vote at the April 5 parliamentary elections. Most statements were submitted in the Chisinau municipality, including the Centru praetor’s office (924 statements), Riscani praetor’s office (737), Botanica praetor’s office (630), Ciocana praetor’s office (592), Buiucani praetor’s office (578), and suburbs (278). The Balti City Hall has got 73 statements, Floresti city — 18, Criuleni — 15, Causeni — 7, Telenesti — 2, Drochia and Cimişlia — by one each. Citizens who submitted statements are mainly from the Chisinau municipality (346), Ungheni rayon (165), Stefan Voda rayon (162), Soroca rayon (160) and Orhei rayon (151). Thirteen electors from the left bank of the Dniester have declared their new domicile. In accordance with the Election Code, people entitled to vote who moved after the last elections may declare their new domicile to local public administrations at least 45 days before next elections, so that to be included in voters’ rolls of the corresponding polling station. This procedure helps update electoral lists. (Source: CEC press release)

The administration of the National Public Broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova claims that the first monitoring report by the Electronic Press Association (APEL) contains a negligent and respectfulness attitude towards the media institution. Teleradio-Moldova manager Valentin Todercan delivered such statements at a March 2 sitting of the Teleradio-Moldova Board of Observers. He noted that criteria used to analyse the information and attitude of journalists are unclear and a single principle for analysing the volume of information is absent. Todercan proposed to submit this contestation to CEC, media watchdog CCA, Council of Europe and OSCE Mission, but BO members turned down this initiative. The Board of Observers took notice of Todercan’s report after long debates and voted to replace the term “contestation” with “reply” which is to be mediated. The APEL monitoring revealed that the public television Moldova-1 makes partisanship with the Party Communists, which is ruling Moldova since 2001. The monitoring covered the electoral period from January 1 to February 3 and analysed programmes involving political players aired by 9 TV stations from Chisinau. (Source: Info-Prim)