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The Republican Party of Moldova (PRM) has applied to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) for registration as electoral contestant. Independent candidates Timbalist Tatiana and Bolotnicov Oleg have also applied for registration. After drawing lots, Bolotnicov Oleg will be the No. 18 candidate in the ballot paper, the Republican Party of Moldova will be the No. 19 and Timbalist Tatiana will be the No. 20. (Source: CEC press release)

The Moldovan media watchdog CCA has sanctioned the public television Moldova-1 for violating the regulation concerning the media coverage on the electoral campaign adopted by CEC. Moldova-1 was sanctioned for airing some video records with a 5-day delay. Article 70 of the CEC regulation stipulates a 24-hour term in this respect. CCA wanted to watch the records in order to collect evidence concerning an appeal by the Party of Communists (PCRM) claiming that the Moldova-1 would have aired more reports about Moldova Noastra (Our Moldova) Alliance (AMN) than relating to PCRM. The private station EURO TV was forewarned over violation of Article 32 of the regulation concerned, which says that “the electoral advertising is aired on radio and television for a charge (…)”. CCA members declared electoral propaganda two materials aired by this station in February, which quoted interviewed persons as explaining why they became members and why they would vote the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD) at the forthcoming elections. Two TV stations with national coverage, 2 Plus and Prime, do not cover the ongoing electoral campaign. (Source: Info-Prim)

“The Popular Republican Party (PPR) is revolted with the provocative and obviously hostile conduct of the so-called public television station Moldova-1, which did not accept a civilised and legal dialogue demanded by PPR and resorted to new trivial assaults on image of the party, its leader Nicolae Andronic and PPR-supported electoral contestant Centrist Union of Moldova,” reads a statement by PPR. The party recalls that it has publicly signalled a couple of days ago that Moldova-1 had aired a report which misinterpreted statements delivered by PPR leader Nicolae Andronic about Moldova’s relations with CIS during the programme “Cabinetul din Umbra” (Shadow Cabinet) aired by the online TV channel Jurnal TV. PPR claims that instead of granting the demanded right of reply, Moldova-1 broadcasted on March 3, 2009 a new denigrating, insulting and untrue report during its news programme Mesager. PPR asked the Moldovan media watchdog CCA and the Central Electoral Commission to take actions “against clear abuses committed by this TV station,” and requested organisations monitoring the electoral process to include this case in reports on quality of electoral campaign. (Source: PPR statement)

The football club Dinamo, leader of the Romanian championship, has sued the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) in the Bucharest Tribunal, accusing it of illegally using its official anthem. The Romanian TV channel Realitatea has aired a report in this regard. According to the report, Dinamo club accuses PD of illegally using the anthem “Ciine pina la moarte” (Dog to Death — Dog is the informal name of Dinamo). Dinamo club seeks damages worth 150,000 Euros, but young democrats defend themselves and claim that they have used the anthem within the internal network of the party. The original anthem of the soccer club has the refrain: “Fie vreme buna, fie vreme rea; Ciini pina la moarte si dincolo de ea” (Good weather, bad weather; Dogs to death and beyond the life). PD young members replaced the word “dogs” with “PD”. They used this anthem for the first time some months ago, during the National Congress of Democratic Youth from Moldova, which brought together approximately 500 young people. (Source: realitatea.net / Infotag)

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has raised a set of initiatives aimed to remedy effects of the world financial crisis on Moldova. Businessman Victor Selin, electoral candidate on behalf of PSD, said that the Government should seize the opportunity provided by the U.S. Exim Bank and contract a 1-billion-dollar credit. For this purpose, the state should provide a bail worth about 150 million dollars, which it could take from reserves of the National Bank. The credit could help building processing enterprises, and open new jobs respectively etc. PSD also recommends the opening of a state agency in charge with crediting the purchase of housing for a 25-year term and a 7-percent annual rate. As well, the party recommends the opening of a state bank to develop small and medium enterprises. (Source: Infotag)

The Moldova Noastra (Our Moldova) Alliance (AMN) has asked CEC to render the documents to the electoral candidate PCRM “in order to adjust them to the legislation in effect.” According to an appeal to CEC, AMN demands CEC to force the Ministry of Justice to confirm the PCRM registration in accordance with Article 13 of the law on political parties, otherwise CEC “is obliged to delete the electoral contestant PCRM from ballot papers.” According to AMN, the name of the electoral candidate “Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova” lacks the information about legal organisational form of this party, and this is a flagrant violation of the legislation in force. Earlier, the Ministry of Justice has demanded the Popular Republican Party to change its name into the Popular Republican Political Party (PPPPR) (Source: AMN press release)

The Republic of Moldova cannot go forward to democracy, rule of law and independent justice, to European Union because of corruption. Legislator Vitalia Pavlicenco, No.2 candidate on electoral list of the Actiunea Europeana (European Action) Movement (MAE), has made this assessment while meeting voters from the village of Vasilcau, the rayon of Soroca. “The corruption is also to blame for the poverty in Moldova. The corruption walks both on the leftwing and on the rightwing of political scene. We need a corruption-free Moldova to build a new society, which would be free of political class which is easily blackmailed because of being interested in own welfare only.” (Source: MAE press release)

“Only PCRM members and saints do not have criminal cases in Moldova,” Gagauz Governor (Bashkan) Mihail Formuzal has told a press conference. He noted that almost all politicians in Moldova have criminal cases. “In Moldova, the one who decides to join politics and not to support the PCRM will have a criminal case against him/her for sure.” According to Formuzal, the Gagauz autonomy is an example for Moldova in terms of elections. “Everybody is free there to support the party it likes. The police do not obstruct meetings, propaganda. The pre-electoral campaign is free there.” The governor invited political parties to adopt an appropriate conduct in the electoral campaign and not to bring groundless accusations against police bodies which respect their rights and freedoms. (Source: Infotag / Omega)

The Party of Socialists Patria-Rodina will support the Party of Communists at the April 5 parliamentary elections for maintaining stability of society and development direction of the country. Patria-Rodina leader Veronica Abramciuc has made this announcement in an interview with the party newspaper Patria-Rodina. She also noted “the similarity of party programmes and importance of the moment.” According to Abramciuc, “the acting leadership succeeds in facing challenges of the time due to experience and potential to select a team able to settle its tasks.” Abramciuc added that “maintaining the sovereignty of Moldova, ensuring the security of the country and its citizens is the key goal” of socialists and communists. (Source: newspaper Patria-Rodina / Infotag)

The Young Journalist Centre of Moldova (CTJM), a national organisation aiming to support and develop the youth media, has released the civic education project Youths Promote and Support Conscious Participation in Elections. It aims to encourage the participation of active young citizens in the parliamentary elections on April 5, 2009. The organisation aims to involve 30 young people within two focus groups giving birth to ideas about how to motivate their fellows to participate consciously in the voting. Youths will be encouraged to promote civic activism and democratic values among their fellows. An audio spot and a video record will be produced to promote a conscious participation of young people in elections. Youths will also participate in election monitoring. The project is funded by the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy within the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections Coalition-2009. (Source: CTJM press release)

During March 4–7, a delegation of the pre-electoral mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is on an informative visit to Moldova. The delegation consists of Greek Deputy Ioannis Banias and Estonian Deputy Andres Herkel, and representatives of the PACE Secretariat. Members of the PACE delegation are set to meet Marian Lupu, chairman of the Parliament, leaders of parliamentary factions, Minister of Justice Vitalie Pirlog. The visit agenda also includes meetings with the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Philip N. Remler, and the head of the OSCE/ODIHR Mission, Nikolai Vulchanov, leaders of non-parliamentary political parties involved in the electoral campaign, manager of Teleradio-Moldova Valentin Todercan, and the chairman of the Moldovan media watchdog CCA, Gheorghe Gorincioi. The agenda also includes roundtables meetings with Moldovan non-governmental organisations and media outlets. European officials will meet members of the Central Electoral Commission at the end of the visit.

“I propose, from a very practical viewpoint, to keep the border on the Dniester, so that to know how many people and goods enter the Republic of Moldova. We do not control the border. Taxes and excises for commodities from the Transnistrian region must exist.” Oleg Serebrian, first vice-chairman of the Democratic Party of Moldova, has delivered such a statement during the Political Duel programme by Unimedia portal. MAE chairman Anatol Petrencu has told the same programme that MAE expects 15 percent of the valid votes at the April 5, 2009 elections. Political leaders stated that their parties will ally with democratic forces should they accede to the Parliament, so that the Party of Communists would find itself in opposition. (Source: Unimedia)

“The ongoing electoral campaign is the dirtiest ever seen in Moldova,” says the first vice-chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM), Alexandru Tanase. In an interview with the magazine Punkt, he stated that “the elections have been being falsified following the 2005 parliamentary elections, not now.” “Once the PCRM-PPCD coalition was made, the programme «Ora Opozitiei» (Opposition Hour) aired by Moldova-1 was cancelled, live broadcasting of parliamentary sittings was ceased at PPCD initiative, the electoral threshold was raised and electoral blocs were prohibited, holders of dual citizenship were restricted from running public functions, the municipal channels Antena C and Euro TV were abusively seized,” Tanase added. (Source: magazine Punkt / Infotag)

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) will deliver a March 3 decision to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, which assesses that external funding was provided during the electoral campaign for parliamentary elections. Following an appeal by PCRM, CEC established that the supplement Obiectiv published by the Independent Press Association (API) on external funds has published opinions and commentaries against PCRM. Therefore, CEC will ask the Foreign Ministry to notify the National Endowment for Democracy, grantor of this publication, not to finance in the future non-governmental organisations which activity contains electioneering elements. API director Petru Macovei told a CEC sitting that “publishing the supplement is part of an ample civic education campaign and other actions will be also organised and funded within this project.” It noted that the CEC decision violates the freedom of expression “which is the most important right in a democratic society.” API will contest the CEC decision in law courts. (Source: Moldpres / Info-Prim)

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has spent the most — about 2.6 million lei — in the first 20 days of electoral campaign, according to the PSD financial report submitted to CEC. Following PSD is the PCRM, which spent 2.3 million lei, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova with 1.6 million lei. They are followed by the Democratic Party, with approximately 1 million lei, Moldova Noastra Alliance about 840,000 lei, and Liberal Party nearly 570,000 lei. The Centrist Union of Moldova has spent the least until now — 111,000 lei, followed by the Christian Democratic People’s Party with about 277,000 lei. At the same time, the Actiunea Europeana social-political Movement and the Conservative Party said that they did not spend money for the campaign for the time being. The ten parties which submitted financial reports have spent more than 9.4 million lei (about 698,000 Euros) overall. Political parties will be able to spend maximum 12 million lei (about 886,000 Euros) each and independent candidates maximum 500,000 lei each for the electoral campaign. These amounts have been earlier set under a CEC decision. (Source: Moldpres)