alegeri.md

The mandate of Moldova’s 16th Legislature elected on March 6, 2005 is over on March 7, 2009. The mandate is legally extended until the meeting of the new Parliament. Meantime, legislators do not have the right to modify the Constitution of Moldova and adopt organic laws. However, they may adopt decisions of the Parliament and ordinary laws, said Ion Creanga, lawyer of the Civic Coalition-2009 for Free and Fair Elections. After the April 5, 2009 elections, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) will deliver to the Constitutional Court, within 48 hours after totalising the results of elections, the lists of elected members of the Parliament and alternate candidates. The Constitutional Court shall confirm or decline the legality of elections within 10 days after receiving the documents from CEC, but not before definitive legal settlement of eventual appeals by electoral contestants. Concomitantly, the Constitutional Court shall validate the mandates of elected parliamentarians and confirm lists of alternate candidates. CEC will issue credentials to elected legislators, shall elections be validated. (Source: Info-Prim)

Tens of young members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) organised a flash-mob on Saturday, March 7, saying goodbye to the acting Parliament. They imitated the acting major parliamentary coalition. Sixty-three youths representing 56 communist legislators and 7 parliamentarians on behalf of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD) allied in columns in front of the Parliament. All of them put on red ribbons held by a young man disguised in Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin. The message of young people was that President Voronin has turned coalition members into marionettes who vote the way he likes. At the end of the meeting, a group of young people representing PLDM and carrying brooms assaulted the 63 “lawmakers”, throwing them symbolically to garbage pit. (Source: Info-Prim)

The delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) which visited Moldova a month before election of a new Parliament was content with pluralism on domestic political scene, but disappointed with a number of unresolved problems. Signalled problems persist so far in the ongoing electoral campaign, despite repeated recommendations by PACE and organisations of the Council of Europe. The PACE delegation observed the use of administrative resources during campaign, pressures and intimidations, inaccurate electoral lists. European officials raised concern with unfair access of electoral contestants to radio and TV stations, especially those with a national coverage. PACE considers that the April 5 parliamentary elections will test the maturity of Moldovan democracy. In conclusion, the delegation invited Moldovan authorities to remedy electoral problems and implement all previous PACE recommendations. (Source: Info-Prim)

During March 16 — April 2, the TV station EU TV will organise electoral debates from Monday to Thursday, twice a day. On Monday, EU TV will organise debates lasting 100 minutes. It will air them from 18:30 to 18:55 (25 minutes) and 21:40 to 22:50 (75 minutes). Electoral debates scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will last 125 minutes and will be aired from 18:00 to 18:50 (50 minutes) and 21:40 to 22:55 (75 minutes). The participation timetable will be drawn on March 12. (Source: communication by EURO TV Chisinau)

The order and timetable of participation of electoral contestants in debates on public radio and television were drawn on Friday, March 6. To note that Moldova-1 and Radio Moldova will organise electoral debates during March 9 — April 3. Each station will broadcast three electoral debates per day and each talkshow will last 30 minutes. To recall that on March 5 three more persons applied for registration as independent candidates to the April 5 elections, but a decision in this respect by the Central Election Commission will be available next week. Debates will focus on electoral programmes of candidates and contestants will answer questions of moderators and will give questions to each other. Each contestant will address voters at the end of broadcasts. At the same time, it was announced that a new drawing is set for next Wednesday, March 11, at 11:00 to establish the order of participation in electoral debates during March 13 — April 3. The schedule of electoral debates on main TV and radio channels will be available at www.alegeri.md. (Source: Unimedia / www.trm.md)

“We would like very much the forthcoming elections (i.e. in Moldova) to be fair. The CoE Parliamentary Assembly will carefully monitor these elections and will work out a report.” This statement was delivered by Council of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis. The European official stressed that some aspects of the Moldovan Electoral Code raise concern, but noted that the Code cannot be modified in electoral campaign. “But fair elections are much more important than just a good Electoral Code. Democracy means the way one knows to treat somebody who thinks differently. The democracy is reflected the way the ruling party treats the opposition, as well as the way the opposition treats the ruling party. The best test for a democracy is the way politicians behave over each other,” Davis stressed. The CoE secretary-general emphasised that free and fair elections will certainly approach the end of the CoE monitoring on Moldova. “Taking an extreme case, we may be sure that the monitoring will not be lifted, should observers say that elections were not free and fair. In practice, we may expect critical objections relating to these elections, but the question is how important the criticism is and how serious are the problems it signals,” the CoE secretary-general added. (Source: NewsIn / Unimedia)