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On March 20, the Ministry of Reintegration of Moldova was confused with a statement by the co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission (CUC), Sergei Gorlov, who said that the opening of a polling station in Corjova village, Dubasari rayon with the purpose to guarantee participation of residents of this village in the April 5 elections could strain the situation in the Security Zone. “Recommendations” by the Russian diplomat concerning the eventual participation in elections of residents from this locality who hold the Moldovan citizenship at the Cocieri polling station raised bewilderment as well. The Ministry of Reintegration fears that these statements violate recent agreements reached during the March 18 meeting in Moscow. These statements could be perceived by certain structures as calling for actions aimed to destabilise the situation deliberatively, intimidate population and compromise the elections in Corjova village. In this context, the Ministry of Reintegration reiterated its call upon CUC to ensure appropriate control on situation in the Security Zone including Corjova in line with its mandate, and to contribute to making necessary conditions for the free move of people during the parliamentary elections in Moldova. (Source: Moldpres)

PCRM representative Galina Balmos has assured within debates that reforms focussed on social sector during the communist governing, with more than 65 percent of the state budget going to the social sector. The minister of social protection, family and child rejected accusations that the PCRM would be to blame for the migration of Moldovans to other countries. “The migration is typical to all countries, particularly to the former socialist area, and every state has crossed the labour force migration stage in its history. The problem is to allow our citizens to move freely and we are negotiating this privilege with the European Union. We must interest the Moldovan gasterbeiters to come back home by opening jobs and raising salaries, but restricting the freedom of move is unfair”, she noted. The PCRM representative stressed that the governing directed most of investments to human capital, promoting positive initiatives on youths, child protection, support to disabled people and socially vulnerable families. She underlined the opportune mode of some opposition parties to self-establish on the eve of elections, willing to enter the governing at all costs by manipulating the electorate. These parties do not have a past and a future, they are greedy of authority, they do not have any principles and follow own interests, she added. (Source: Moldpres)

“Gheorghe Avornic, a leader of the Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM), said that he did not know the situation of farmers before joining the electoral campaign. The lawyer was astonished with the sad portrait of Moldovan villages. «I did not visit villages until now and what I have seen in this period was horrible,» he said during electoral debates. Talks with his opponent, independent candidate Segiu Banari were very strained, with Avornic calling him «thee» at a moment. Banari felt himself hurt and accused the UCM representative of being uneducated. The media introduced Gheorghe Avornic as one of the richest politicians and owner of many real estates and farm lands.” (Source: Moldpres)

The news agency Moldpres reported on March 20 that “an ample manifestation with the participation of students from Romania is expected in Chisinau.” According to a communication by the “Noii Golani” Action Group from Romania, coaches carrying students will travel to Chisinau on special and ordinary itineraries. Coaches will depart from cities of main university centres from Romania marked on an online map. According to organisers, the manifestation is formally dedicated to the Day of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania. At the same time, students expected in Chisinau will participate in ample electoral actions which will be organised by pro-Romania liberal and liberal-democratic forces. The “Noii Golani” Action Group is a successor of the organisation which opened the Romanian Revolution in 1989. The organising of student groups was announced after, according to an official press release by the Liberal Party (PL), PL leader Dorin Chirtoaca had electoral meetings with students from Romanian cities of Galati, Iasi, Suceava and Bucharest during March 18–20. Contacted by agency, officials from the Foreign Ministry said that they do not know any information in this respect, refusing to answer whether authorities of the neighbouring country were notified or not about these actions. (Source: Moldpres)

On March 20, “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration convoked Mr. Filip Teodorescu, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Moldova, and told him the following facts. According to information held by Moldovan side, the arrival of massive groups of Romanian citizens in Chisinau is expected on March 26–28 to participate in electoral public actions. Given the friendly relations between our countries, the Moldovan side considers necessary to warn that certain provocative actions could be held in electoral period. In this context, Moldovan authorities have respectfully requested the Foreign Ministry of Romania to check these reports and asked it to take into consideration the high probability of such actions, with the purpose to prevent eventual involvement of Romanian citizens in provocative actions which could aim to destabilise the internal situation in the Republic of Moldova. In their turn, Moldovan authorities will take all necessary actions to prevent such a situation, which would jeopardise the good relations between Republic of Moldova and Romania.” (Source: Moldpres)

President Vladimir Voronin has highly appreciated the contribution of popular guards to maintaining security of citizens. Statements in this regard were delivered at a meeting on summing up operation of popular guards, which took place at the National Palace on March 21. Security of people is a constitutional obligation of the state, the president stated. He stressed the merit of popular guards in combating crimes, maintaining the public order, especially in combating street hooliganism. In his turn, Moldovan Interior Minister Gheorghe Papuc underlined President Voronin’s contribution to reanimating popular guards, involving civil society in combating crimes. According to the minister, both very grave crimes and domestic and street crimes were successfully combated due to cooperation between police bodies and popular guards. Moldova has 1,220 popular guard teams with 16,000 members. In 2008 popular guards helped holding red-hand more than 100 offenders, discovering about 800 offences, holding 100 wanted persons. (Source: Moldpres)

President Voronin met popular guards from nationwide at the National Palace on March 21, but access of journalists was restricted. The “Moldova Noastra” (Our Moldova Alliance) intended to picket the Palace but finally cancelled its plans, being afraid of provocations. (Source: Jurnal de Chisinau)

The “Moldova Noastra” (Our Moldova) Alliance (AMN) condemns speculations by pro-communist media outlets that its representatives would have instigated young people to assault the Interior Ministry headquarters. This is an informative diversion and a topic typical to provocative actions to which the electoral camp of communists “Elections 2009” has dedicated itself. Because of such speculations and in order to prevent their development and other possible consequences, the Youth Organisation of AMN cancelled its plans to picket the March 21-scheduled meeting of President Voronin with the so-called “popular guards” under the aegis of the Interior Ministry. At the same time, we discovered among those who gathered at the National Palace today some persons who certainly participated in recent provocations against AMN young members during the manifestation in front of the Government and painting assault in front of the Interior Ministry. Compared pictures will be shortly available at www.amn.md. Evidently, the meeting with “popular guards” has at least two clear meanings. The first would be to strengthen the teams of “fighters” trained by the communist camp to prevent by force the fall of Voronin’s clan. Another side is the common people, who came to an ordinary electoral meeting organised by the communist leader on state funds, administrative resources, abusively using his official position. In connection with the second aspect, we inform the media and observers of parliamentary elections that “Moldova Noastra” Alliance regards as illegal the running of their functions by Voronin, Lupu and Greceanii, who top the PCRM list, in the campaign. This application will be considered by the Court of Appeal on March 23, at 16:00. (Source: AMN press release)

Meetings of AMN leader with electors get a massive dimension, but servants of communists take unprecedented actions to compromise them. On March 21, a record number of more than 3,000 people gathered at the Orhei stadium to discuss with Serafim Urechean. Communists tried in a desperate and condemnable manner to destabilise the situation during the meeting, infiltrating two hooligans under administrative arrest for a 15-day term after the involvement of rayon police chief Vasile Gradinaru, with the two offenders trying to howl and clash with AMN supporters. The leader was Sergiu Balan, a beekeeper from Bulaeşti, and the two arrested persons were finally identified. AMN accuses police officers of illegally releasing and involving hooligans to destabilise the public order and asks the prosecution to investigate this grave case. After trying to calm down the hooligans taken by police, two persons were held by police abusively, while Serafim Urechean returned to Orhei to demand authorities there to stop this illegality and respect the rights of people. Meanwhile, the AMN leader had a massive meeting in Peresecina village and faced incidents again. Like in other localities, the light in the Cultural House which hosted the meeting with electors was turned off. A demand to connect the building to the close-by panel of mayoralty was turned down contrary to obligations of local authorities to ensure necessary conditions, as the mayor there is a communist. Further, the Cultural House was connected to a neighbouring shop, but the light was finally turned off in all Peresecina. The meeting continued with the help of a mobile power generator, while the base behaviour of communists astonished people and amplified the news about visit of AMN leader to the big village. The meetings in Orhei, Peresecina and Ciocalteni between Serafim Uechean and electors were closely supervised by police chief Vasile Gradinaru and his subordinates, and this is a grave violation of electoral norms, an additional proof of use of police forces to intimidate people and electoral candidates, which will be contested in electoral authorities. (Source: AMN press release)

“About 300 people from Nisporeni have booed Vladimir Voronin and protested against the policy promoted by the PCRM in the last 8 years of rule,” according to Albasat TV. Protestors asked the chief of state “Where are the bonds” and accused him that people have been reduced to beggary after the communists took over the governing in 2001. (Source: Unimedia)

A helicopter has disseminated thousands of electoral leaflets against PL, PLDM and AMN in the Vasile Alecsandri Square in Balti. The action was organised by PCRM. City people astonished by the novelty in terms of electoral strategies said that they would have liked a money rain while street sweepers were angry with the misery in the square. Accidentally or not, the helicopter appeared a couple of minutes before an electoral meeting of PLDM started at the Vasile Alecsandri Theatre. While on threshold, the liberal democrats faced one more surprise. A young group carrying AMN symbols met them with critical banners. Arrived at the scene, the chairman of the Balti-based AMN branch said that the protest was staged by PCRM. The communists acknowledged that they disseminated the leaflets but assured that they did not organise the provocations in front of the Balti theatre. (Source: Unimedia)

The Conference of Liberal Democratic Students took place on March 21, bringing together 125 young people from Moldovan high schools. The conference was welcomed by the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM), Vlad Filat, who noted that the activism and participation of growing generation in social-political life prove that the future of our country is in safe hands. Young people, who are messengers of democratic transformations in society, will help building a state based on the rule of law. The chairman of the Youth Organisation of PLDM, George Mocanu, said that students will be always a strong nucleus for promoting liberal democratic ideals among youths. Following the meeting of liberal democratic students, young people walked in a protest march to the Presidency, shouting “Green Light to Moldova!”, “I Am Not Afraid of Voting!”, “Green Light to Students!”, “Students Vote the Oak!”. Once arrived in front of the Presidency, young liberal democrats continued the action “Counting-down for communist governing” started on January 23. They picketed the Presidency for 15 minutes, showing graphically to the chief of state that 18 days are left to the communist governing and promising not to be afraid of voting on April 5. The action was part of PLDM-held protests against abuses and illegalities by communist governing, which ruined the Republic of Moldova in 8 years and set up a regime based on dictatorship and terror. (Source: PLDM press release)

The conference on presentation of findings of the survey conducted by the Centre of Sociological Investigations “CBS AXA” (researches of BOP March 2009) and the Centre of Analysis Sociological, Political and Psychological Researches CIVIS (checking of collected data) will take place on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at 10:00 at the RAUT Hall, Leogrand Hotel & Convention Center, in 69 Parcalab Street. The survey focussed on political options; popularity of main parties and political personalities; living standards and life quality; economic and social policy of Government; other major issues. (Source: IPP press release)