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The Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM) has released a social programme which stipulates some reforms aimed to improve the social life of Moldovan population. UCM chairman Vasile Tarlev told a press conference on Monday that Moldova’s population is facing a difficult situation. “Although the governing is trying to launder brains that the country does not face a financial crisis, the situation is other,” Tarlev stated. He claims that the UCM has worked out social reforms and it will radically change the situation in some areas once it eneter the governing. “We are seeking a retirement age of 60 years for men and 55 years for women… we will increase pensions to cover the minimum consumer basket and wages to be enough both for communal services and decent living of population,” Tarlev promised. He also promised that the UCM will cancel heating debts of consumers. Tarlev noted that the UCM will modify the legislation, so that mothers of at least two children will be declared heroines and will enjoy state privileges. He stressed that the mandatory health insurance system shall be modified. The UCM is seeking the raising of pensions from three sources: state, citizen and employer, and this area shall be decentralised. (Source: Infotag)

The electoral campaign for the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections is based on blackmail, terror and corruption by majority of participating political parties, says Ana Tcaci, chairwoman of the Party of Spiritual Development “Moldova Unita” (United Moldova). She told a press conference on Monday that the ruling party tops the list of parties which widely use these working methods in electoral campaign. “According to reports by electors from areas, the PCRM compels people to participate in electoral meetings, proposing them money, material assistance, organising ample shows by widely using administrative resources,” Tcaci stated. She noted that the PCRM and PPCD halt the “Moldova Unita” Party to meet electors, to campaign, prohibiting people to display electoral advertising in localities ruled by communist and Christian-democrat mayors. According to Tcaci, representatives of these parties warned people that “Moldova Unita” will face big problems after April 5, 2009, should they keep criticising the incumbent governing. (Source: Infotag)

By providing a humanitarian aid of 50,000 tons of fuels in full electoral campaign, Russia proved support to the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova and willingness to see this party ruling further the. The Liberal Party (PL) describes this gesture as a brutal meddling of the Russian Federation in Moldova’s interior affairs and an open attempt to influence the April 5 voting in favour of the communist governing. PL notes that the joint declaration signed by Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev and Tiraspol administration leader Igor Smirnov “gives green light to inadmissible yielding related to the Transnistrian conflict.” The liberals criticise the acceptance of Russia’s condition to discuss again the status of peacekeeping forces from the security zone in the so-called “2+1” format, not in the present “5+2” negotiation format, which is effective and was not cancelled. (Source: PL statement)

Following the civic education purpose, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) introduced Monday a new official website www.voteaza.md launched within an ample campaign aimed to inform people about voting procedure in Moldova. According to CEC deputy chairwoman Renata Lapti, the unprecedented programme introduced at the CEC initiative under generics “Your Vote is Important! Do Not Hesitate to Vote!” is designed to provide all necessary information about the April 5 elections to Moldovan population including nationals from abroad. The website includes chapters which explain the electoral legislation, location and all information about polling stations, necessary documents for voting, etc. Moldovan electors from other countries may find necessary information about “Voting outside Moldova” and “Polling stations outside Moldova”. Moldovan citizens who live in Transnistria may find information about polling stations to cast their ballots by visiting the column “Polling stations”. CEC chairman Eugeniu Stirbu said that this programme implemented and funded by local and international organisations will be used for future local and parliamentary elections after an updating. CEC is confident that the turnout at the April 5 parliamentary elections will be higher than at the 2007 general elections. As much as 52.3 percent of all voters participated in elections then. (Source: Moldpres / Infotag)

Irina Grosu, director of the Briceni post office, and Veronica Midor, director of the post processing and transportation centre of the state-run company Posta Moldovei, have been dismissed for violation of administration’s orders. Knowledgeable sources in the Posta Moldovei administration told Infotag that instructions saying that all relations of the enterprise with electoral candidates are based on contracts approved by managers were issued before parliamentary elections. In particular, the dissemination of electoral advertising via post services is based on signed contracts exclusively. “The I.S. Posta Moldovei administration has instructed its employees more than once not to get involved in the electoral campaign and not to use administrative resources of the enterprise to disseminate electoral materials. All employees took notice of these instructions, confirming their consent by signatures. In spite of taken measures, some employees violated the instructions and were relieved from offices,” Posta Moldovei officials said. (Source: Infotag)

Several electoral bureaus in Moldovan capital cannot start operating, the secretary of the Chisinau Municipal (CMC), Valeriu Didencu, told a City Hall sitting on March 23. The reason is that some delegated members do not show up at work. Didencu noted that CMC is due to convene in a sitting on Thursday, March 26 to delegate other members. A draft decision in this regard is already available. The CMC secretary stressed that changes are required in 10 electoral bureaus in Botanica district, 33 electoral bureaus in Buiucani district, 9 in Centru district, 23 in Ciocana district and 12 in Rascani district. Overall, 293 polling stations will be opened, of them 9 for the first time. As many as 239 polling stations will be open in the capital’s districts and another 54 in suburbs. (Source: Info-Prim)

The Independent Journalism Centre (CIJ) condemns the physical aggression against the team of OMEGA agency by an electoral candidate representing the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM). Nadin Gogu, ad-interim director of CIJ, stated to OMEGA that “such cases are regrettable when journalists are restricted access to certain events and cannot do their job.” “We have always condemned abuses against journalists,” Gogu said. She noted that journalists should not be restricted the right to record, to take photos at an event. Gogu invited everyone to be fair towards journalists who come to cover public events. The incident was also condemned by the Electronic Press Association APEL, League for the Protection of Human Rights, other nongovernmental organisations and political parties. (Source: Omega portal)

OMEGA agency has appealed to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), OSCE Mission, electoral observers, civil society and diplomatic corps, condemning the use of force by an activist of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) to obstruct recording. “The assailant’s actions are more cynical if recalling that journalists were assaulted during the PLDM-held action themed “Do Not Be Afraid of Voting!” under eyes of PLDM adepts who did not get involved to stop the injustice,” reads the appeal. Omega journalists called for condemning such actions against democratic norms in general and press freedom in particular. “We consider that this aggression aims to intimidate the media and subordinate journalists to interests of some political parties” , reads the appeal by OMEGA agency in connection with the aggression committed by a PLDM activist. A PLDM activist ill-treated Omega cameramen during the meeting called “Do Not Be Afraid of Voting” on Sunday, March 22 at around 11:30, in a move to ban recording in street. (Source: Omega press release)

Journalists from TV channels loyal to the communist governing are very angry with members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM). They claim that a PLDM member have illegally assaulted them during the protest meeting organised by this party on March 22. PLDM chairman Vlad Filat acknowledged that a regrettable incident occurred, that a party supporter had an uncivilised behaviour, and promised that the party will adequately punish the assailant. Filat invited journalists to do their job honestly, but not to become spies. Filat indicated the case of a resident from Leova rayon who was asked some questions. Being further distorted, they made an electoral record against PLDM. There were lots of cases when OMEGA journalists unequipped by necessary badges began private discussions and further introduced them as interviews, distorting their contents. (Source: Jurnaltv)

The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) signals new violations of the freedom of assemblies. PLDM leader Vlad Filat told a press conference on Monday that this time authorities tried to halt people from attending the protest meeting held by PLDM on Sunday. “On Saturday evening, all owners and drivers of buses and minibuses from Balti were called up and threatened to be lifted their licences, should they carry people to the PLDM meeting,” he stated. The PLDM leader claims that the Orhei police seized numbering plates from vehicles expected to transport people to the Chisinau meeting, while customs officers from Leuseni blocked a coach carrying approximately 50 students from Moldova who study in Iasi and wanted to take part in the protest action. (Source: Deca-Press)

Electoral authorities from Balti have decided on the number of ballot papers. According to the head of the working apparatus of the Balti Electoral Constituency Council, Irina Serdiuc, 105,628 ballot papers will be printed for Balti and this number covers electors there. Under the decision, half of ballot papers for Balti municipality will be printed in Romanian and another half in Russian. Serdiuc noted that the number of voters has increased by about 16,000 people compared with the last elections. Fifty-nine polling stations will open in Balti city. (Source: Deca-Press)

Moldova’s population is dramatically falling, decreasing annually by about 10,000 people in the last three years, the deputy chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), Valentina Stratan, told a press conference on Monday, March 23. The PDM has raised a legislative initiative aimed to improve the situation in this area by granting facilities to young families, opening a national social housing project, etc., but it was turned down, Stratan noted. The emigration influences the demographic situation by definitively disintegrating many families, PDM representatives warned. The chairwoman of the Forum of Moldovan Women’s Organisations, Elena Burca, said that the evolution of demographic processes mainly depends on number of marriages and divorces. Both the number of marriages and divorces has increased in the last years. There were 27,100 marriages and 12,600 divorces in 2006. On average, there are 1,000 marriages per 465 divorces. (Source: PDM press release)

Gheorghe Susarenco, legislator on behalf of the “Moldova Noastra” (Our Moldova) Alliance (AMN), has applied to the Constitutional Court (CC) to consider the constitutionality of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM). He recalls that under the new law on parties adopted in December 2007 the statutes of Moldovan political parties “shall stipulate express the legal organisation form.” Susarenco notes that all political parties were obliged to introduce their legal organisation form in their constitution and functioning documents. “Once the law concerned was adopted, the Ministry of Justice invoked the obligation to register again the parties, so that to introduce the necessary changes in their statutes and the collocation «political party» in their names. The PCRM did not comply with these requirements and therefore its activity is unconstitutional,” the parliamentarian underlined. He asked the CC to urgently consider his application, so that to withdraw the PCRM from electoral competition for the April 5 parliamentary elections, if needed be. (Source: Infotag)

The “Moldova Noastra” Alliance (AMN) recommends a six-party format for the Transnistrian settlement. AMN deputy chairman Veaceslav Untila launched this initiative live on Saturday via the radio station Vocea Basarabiei. Untila fears that “the «2+1» format (Moldova, Transnistria and Russia) is null while the «5+2» format (Moldova, Transnistria, Russia, Ukraine, OSCE, EU and U.S.) is inefficient.” “We recommend a «2+4» format made of Russia and Moldova as parties of the agreement and Ukraine, the U.S., the OSCE and the EU as observers and guarantors,” Untila said. He noted that “Transnistria must not participate in the negotiation process because it is a region of Moldova and the republic cannot negotiate with own region.” (Source: Infotag)

The “top level corruption” in Moldova should be our No.1 concern, according to the “Moldova Noastra” Alliance (AMN). AMN spokesman Victor Osipov said in an interview with Info-Prim Neo that privatisations operated by acting governing in the last months “have made the state lose about 1.3 billion lei,” according to estimates by experts. AMN revealed a series of actions taken by governing to meet corrupt interests at the level of Parliament, Osipov stressed. “There are well-known cases when new laws allowed interposed members of the red-orange coalition to forestall public estates such as privatisation of governmental newspapers or broadcasting reform performed to lay hands on municipal public stations Euro TV Chisinau and Radio Antena C. There are also little mediated cases, but they reveal a penetration of the corruption octopus into the top level of acting governing, a growth to the level at which the law itself is made for such interests, letting alone decisions by Government and presidential structures.”