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The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has registered Mrs. Tatiana Timbalist (jurist, mayor of Alava commune, Stefan Voda rayon), Mrs. Valentina Cusnir (winemaking engineer-technologist, member of Moldovan Parliament) and Mr. Alexandr Lomakin (jurist, worker of Alfa factory based in Chisinau municipality) as independent candidates to the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections. At the same time, CEC has turned down applications by Mr. Oleg Bolotnicov and Mr. Veaceslav Rosca, as it ascertained after considering their subscription lists and erasing invalid signatures that the two applicants were short of the signatures required by Election Code to stand for parliamentary elections. Therefore, 21 electoral candidates including 15 parties and 7 independents participate in the electoral race. (Source: CEC communication)

Oleg Bolotnicov accuses the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of unmotivated refusal to register him as independent candidate to the April 5 parliamentary elections. He told a press conference that he has been summoned by CEC on the eve and asked to withdraw his subscription lists, otherwise “as many as necessary false signatures will be found.” “I was advised to give up plans to participate in elections, but nor even they (i.e. CEC) know what violations I committed,” Bolotnicov stated. He noted that two subscription lists have been rejected the day he applied to CEC. According to Bolotnicov, he was told meantime that more than 570 out of 2,200 signatures are invalid, after being assured that all of them were valid when he has applied. Bolotnicov intends to contest the CEC decision in law courts. (Source: Info-Prim)

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has approved the opening of ten polling stations to enable Moldovan citizens from Transnistria and Bender municipality to participate in the April 5 parliamentary elections. Under a CEC decision, the ten polling stations will be opened in Chisinau-controlled localities over the Dniester. CEC instructed the Interior Ministry to take necessary actions in order to maintain the rule of law in localities hosting polling stations. At the same time, the Central Electoral Commission asks national and international observers to ensure democratic and fair elections at the polling stations concerned. According to official data, more than 340,000 citizens of Moldova reside in the Transnistrian region. (Source: Omega)

CEC has accredited 18 international observers on behalf of the Russian Embassy to Moldova with the view to monitor the parliamentary elections on April 5, 2009. For the same purpose, CEC accredited a national observer on behalf of electoral candidate “Moldova Noastra” (Our Moldova) Alliance to the polling station # 305, Moldova’s Representation to the Council of Europe (France). (Source: CEC communication)

CEC has obliged the electoral contestants Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) and Liberal Party (PL) to withdraw electoral spots which breach ethical norms and disadvantage the Party of Communists. It sanctioned these parties after considering appeals in this respect by PCRM representative Serghei Sirbu. Sirbu stressed that an electoral spot of AMN released by the media libels the PCRM. In consequence, CEC found that the spot indicated by PCRM appeal is an electoral material against PCRM, and violates ethical norms stipulated by the Election Code and Electoral Code of Conduct. As well, CEC compelled the Liberal Party to withdraw an electoral spot featuring archives without any date of records, and this affects and defames the PCRM image. (Source: Moldpres)

“Moldova Noastra” (Our Moldova) Alliance (AMN) subscribes to the Anti-Corruption Pact proposed by “Actiunea Europeana” (European Action) Movement (MAE) to Moldovan political class. AMN chairman Serafim Urechean has made this announcement at a press conference, thus giving green light to a recent invitation in this respect made by MAE. AMN stresses that a basic element of the ongoing electoral campaign is to disclose and criticise “big-corruption” schemes of the communist governing. “Tenebrous schemes used by Voronin’s clan, improved and extended in 8 years, have seriously damaged the state and halted both the development of country and welfare of retirees and budgetary employees above all. In recent times only, the corrupt state leadership has damaged Moldova by more than 5 billion lei, by releasing false liberal initiatives and selling important state-owned facilities for very low prices. Recovering lost revenue and directing it to raise pensions and wages is the No.1 goal of AMN,” said the party to motivate the signing of the Anti-Corruption Pact. (Source: AMN notification)

The anti-corruption fight held by the “Actiunea Europeana” (European Action) Movement (MAE) is troubling spotted politicians, say leaders of this party. According to a MAE statement, leaders of this party hold information that a true offensive of dirty assaults from all political directions is being prepared against MAE. “Some MAE leaders have already received anonymous threatening calls. Every day we receive various signals to take it easy… As well, we hold information that corrupt communist or non-communist politicians will try to discredit us by insinuating in the controlled media that we are doing the game of somebody,” reads the statement. (Source: MAE statement)

The electoral campaign for the 2009 parliamentary elections is developing in unfair conditions and the campaign itself is one of dirtiest and gravest violation ever recorded in Moldova’s modern history. This opinion belongs to the chairman of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN), Serafim Urecheanu. The AMN leader told a press conference on Tuesday, March 10 that “the Party of Communists (PCRM), which ruled the country in the last 8 years, is using massively and roughly administrative resources for own electoral interests and violates the effective legislation demonstratively and even mockingly.” He accused PCRM candidates who run supreme state functions that they use privileges and official rankings in electoral campaign to exert a direct administrative influence on budgetary employees. As well, Urecheanu accused interior minister of illegal involvement in elections. At the same time, he stressed that authorities would prepare a massive fraud of the April 5 elections, noting that the Ministry of Information Development has reported 3,026 million electors, while data provided by local public administrations to CEC indicate 2,451 million voters. AMN has raised an appeal in this respect and notified the Council of Europe. AMN signals an “unprecedented concentration of the media protecting the interests of PCRM and ignoring or defaming opposition forces,” adding that “electoral and broadcasting authorities shrink from making decisions in favour of electors.” (Source: Info-Prim)

Veaceslav Untila, first vice-chairman of Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN), promises to seek after elections the abrogation of the law entrusting the Information and Security Service (SIS) to check candidates to public functions, and he would appeal upon Constitutional Court should he fail to get necessary support in Parliament. According to a statement by Untila, the lawmaker recalls that he has raised more than once “the problem of excess of authority and unfair activity of the Information and Security Service in Parliament, media, during public meetings and private talks.” Untila stressed that after being entrusted supplementary tasks, SIS oversteps the bounds of the Soviet KGB. Untila added that “he has nothing against the procedure concerned, but it should be introduced after the reformation of SIS.” (Source: Infotag)

The political Party “Uniunea Muncii Patria-Rodina” (Labour Union Patria-Rodina) is sure that it will enter the new Parliament, which Moldovan citizens will elect on April 5, 2009. Chairman Gheorghe Sima told a press conference on Tuesday that legislators representing “Patria-Rodina” will promote draft laws on raising the minimal wage on economy up to 5,000 lei, ensuring housing of young people and access to preferential credits. “As well, we are calling for a referendum to decide on status of Russian language in Moldova, cancel cooperation with NATO, award the status of autonomy to the Transnistrian region, sign a border treaty with Romania,” Sima noted. “Patria-Rodina” also calls for priority relations with CIS and European Union. Sima stressed that his party would like to cooperate with Moldova Noastra Alliance and Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova in the future Parliament. (Source: Infotag)

The Liberal Party (PL) is calling upon European Union governments to be loyal with Moldovan nationals from their territories on April 5, 2009, to facilitate their access to voting and, if possible, to help them travel to Moldovan polling stations in those countries. The PL appeal says that by doing this, EU member states, all European community “will make common cause with Moldovan electors who sincerely want a democratic change of authority and accession to the European Union.” It notes that hundreds of thousands of Moldovan nationals working in EU member states have proved willingness to cast their constitutional right at the April 5 parliamentary elections, but “the Chisinau communist governing did not ensure their electoral right, as it refused to open supplementary polling stations.” (Source: PL communication)

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) submitted five appeals to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on Tuesday, March 10, claiming that “Moldova Noastra” (Our Moldova) Alliance, Democratic Party of Moldova, Liberal Party and Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova did not declare all funds and thus violated the legislation. Serghei Sirbu, PCRM representative to CEC, said that an analysis of financial reports revealed that the four electoral candidates did not declare, in particular, the expenses for electoral advertising in the media. “This is a grave breach of the Election Code. We have asked the CEC to check and sanction these contestants. As well, we have requested it to notify the Main State Tax Inspectorate to operate a strict control on use of funds,” Sirbu added. (Source: Moldpres)

Somebody is interested to prevent any electoral debates between candidates to the forthcoming parliamentary elections, while the present debates on Moldova-1, with the participation of two competitors only, do not provide citizens with real possibilities to be informed objectively about quality of those bidding for parliamentary dignity, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), Dumitru Diacov, has told a press conference. People want talks between representative parties and ruling party, focussed on principles, important topics, but this is impossible since some electoral contestants join the race with the purpose to mislead voters. In these conditions, PDM will appeal upon CEC to modify the format of electoral debates on Moldova-1, at least for the final period of electoral campaign. Moldova Noastra Alliance expressed a similar position on Monday, March 9. Electoral debates on Moldova-1 and Radio Moldova opened on March 9. (Source: PDM press release)

The National Bank of Moldova is maintaining an artificial exchange rate of leu versus other reference currencies and this impoverishes people and domestic producers, says the chairman of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), Dumitru Diacov. He told a press conference on Tuesday, March 10 that while the rouble has fallen from 25 to 36 units per dollar in Russia, a developing economy with important hydrocarbon sales, the leu is artificially maintained through administrative methods in Moldova, which survives from remittances, not due to a strong economy. In these conditions, both economy and domestic currency run the risk of a collapse after elections. The PDM leader invites Government members to focus on problems which threaten the economic security of the country instead of dealing with electioneering only. (Source: PD press release)

The Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD) and Liberal Party (PL) see different solutions to free circulation of Moldovan citizens in Romania, with the first saying that Romanian authorities should issue visas at border stations and the latter aiming at an association agreement between Moldova and European Union that would stipulate a visa-free access of Moldovans to all Europe, including Romania. Statements in this regard were delivered by PPCD chairman Iurie Rosca and PL vice-chairman Dorin Chirtoaca during electoral debates aired by public TV station Moldova-1 on Monday evening. Chirtoaca said that an association agreement with EU could be available by 2010. He noted that PL has plans to resolve the problem of regaining Romanian citizenship by Moldovan citizens and recalled that this is also a priority of the Democratic Liberal Party of Romania (led by Romanian President Traian Basescu), with which PL develops cooperation relations. In his turn, Iurie Rosca assured that a free access of Moldovans to Romania could be easily ensured through direct negotiations with Bucharest officials. “EU has asked Romania to introduce visas for the Republic of Moldova, but it did not deny the possibility to issue them at the border,” he added. (Source: Infotag)