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Sixty parliamentarians representing the Party of Communists received their mandates of legislators during a formal ceremony on Saturday, April 25. Lawmakers elected on the lists of the three opposition parties — PL, PLDM and AMN — refused to attend the ceremony but received their credentials on Tuesday, April 28. (Source: Moldpres)

Five nongovernmental organisations which are members of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Coalition 2009” have been summoned by tax authorities to report their funding. Reports by the Coalition 2009 concerning the electoral campaign and the Election Day have bitterly criticised the communist governance and signalled grave violations of the electoral process. The five organisations are: the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT, the Institute IDIS Vitorul, the Institute for Public Policy, the Independent Journalism Centre and the Electronic Press Association. These NGOs were asked among others to report any funding from political parties during the electoral campaign. (Source: europalibera.org)

Eight directors of nongovernmental organisations which are members of the Policy Association for an Open Society (PASOS) Network released a joint statement on Tuesday, April 28 in which they express concern about the situation in Moldova. “New signs have emerged indicating a severe political deterioration in the country. The authorities are impeding the work of independent civil society and independent media right now at a time when independent voices are essential to witness and investigate human rights abuses carried out by the police authorities,” reads the statement. “We are very concerned at the lack of progress in curbing the escalation of the political crisis in Moldova, and the lack of impetus from the side of the European Union, at the very moment when core civil liberties are being threatened, especially the right to life, the freedom of expression and association, the access to free media,” the signatory NGO leaders noted. The statement cites a series of illegalities recorded after the parliamentary elections in our country, inclusively the intense pressure of NGOs by the Ministry of Justice and fiscal controls faced by NGOs the last days. “Three of these organisations, Institute for Development and Social Initiatives Viitorul, Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT and Institute of Public Policy are independent policy centres and members of PASOS, a network of 39 independent think-tanks in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia committed to promoting and protecting open society values,” reads the statement. (Source: stireazilei.md)

The European Union has issued a statement to express concern over the situation in the Republic of Moldova, during the meeting of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg. According to the statement, the EU says that it has “serious grounds” concerning the situation in this country, while Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg stated that Moldova “is a challenge” to the European bloc. “The current strain in Moldova is a challenge to the European Union. Our task is to determine a proper road for Moldova to bring it closer to our standard,” he stressed. The minister noted that the EU is waiting for “actions in the European spirit” from the Moldovan political. “The EU Council calls for the restoration of an integral political dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition and respect for human rights and freedoms in this country,” the Czech diplomat emphasised. The EU hopes that Moldova will act “in European spirit” both within external political relations and on the internal political arena. (Source: Mediafax / Omega)

The stake which all of us should take into account is the destiny of Moldova in hands of the political elite, the EU special representative to Moldova, Kalman Mizsei, stated on Monday. He noted that the four parties which make the new parliament have to settle two primordial tasks together: to extend the composition of the special commission in charge with investigating the developments that followed the parliamentary elections, so that to find a place both for the opposition and for representatives of European organisations, and to fairly consider the April 7 protests and the police reaction the next days; to open a political dialogue. According to Mizsei, a proof of the willingness to start a dialogue would be the end of severe press assaults and a respectful treatment towards each other. Bitter messages are not productive any longer today, but on the contrary the courage means readiness to negotiate, Mizsei added. (Source: europalibera.org)

“The ruling party is open for a constructive dialogue with the opposition,” Marian Lupu, former chairman of the Parliament, told a meeting with the Secretary-General of the European Union Council, Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, on Friday, April 24. “Reaching a national consensus and stabilising the social-political situation in the country is the No.1 preoccupation of the Moldovan authorities,” Lupu assured. He noted that “it is absolutely necessary for all political class to prove maturity and responsibility.” In his turn, Solana estimated that “the dialogue with the opposition is very important to settle the political crisis in your country.” “The European Union is ready to provide all necessary support, to identify the appropriate mechanisms for overcoming the present situation. We are deeply interested to see Moldova as a neighbour of the EU with a stable political and economic situation,” Solana added. (Source: Omega)

I am sure that after the discussions of the Chisinau political class with European diplomacy head Javier Solana and EU Chairman-in-Office Mirek Topolanek, the political crisis produced by the April 7–8 events is over. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin delivered this statement at the end of the April 24 visit to Chisinau by EU Council Secretary-General Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy. “These recommendations will guide us so that the next Parliament will work normally and constructively. The majority parliamentary faction will do its best to prove the legislature’s viability”, Voronin promised. (Source: Moldpres)

The Conservative Party (PC) is asking the centre-right parliamentary parties to boycott the election of the chief of state. The PC will blame the leaders of the three parties, Serafim Urecheanu, Vlad Filat and Mihai Ghimpu, for “betrayal”, should any parliamentarian representing these parties participate in the voting, PC chairwoman Natalia Nirca told a press conference on Tuesday. “The Party of Communists invokes the argument of maintaining the political stability in front of an imminent serious economic crisis. This is an important argument, but it fails in the current situation,” Nirca stressed. “It makes no sense to speak about a political stability as long as this stability was built on fraud, legalised through validation of elections by the Constitutional Court, on the basis of misinformation, ill-treatment, and torture of people arrested by the police, and the most serious, a stability built on human lives,” Nirca added. (Source: jurnal.md)

Two people are still missing after the violent April 7 protests. The head of the local public administration Department of the Chisinau City Hall, Alexandra Motpan, told an operative sitting on Tuesday, April 28 that the list of people who appealed to the City Hall after being assaulted or arrested by the police includes 322 persons. Motpan noted that the name of one of the two missing persons is Alexandru Galintchi, employee of a Chisinau-based joint stock society, while the second person, Serghei Donici, is a student. According to Svetlana Chifa, head of the municipal Department for child’s rights protection, the department representatives could participate in the hearings of only 7 out of 37 children detained in the temporary placement centre for minors. Three children had traces of violence on their bodies. However, the children said that they hammered but assured that they were not ill-treated. (Source: Info-Prim)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will hold debates on Moldova on Wednesday, April 29. European parliamentarians have made this decision after hearing reports by experts concerning the April 5 parliamentary elections in Moldova. On the eve of the spring session, the rapporteur of the special commission of the PACE Bureau, David Willsher, said that the campaign for the Moldovan parliamentary elections was “pluralistic, pacifistic, no major incidents were recorded.” Willsher repeated the conclusion of international observers at the Moldovan elections that the elections met many international standards but “many efforts are required so far to ensure independence from administrative resources and enhance the confidence of society.” (Source: Infotag)

“It is essential to recast a right description of what has really happened and to take the necessary measures for the protection of human rights.” This statement was made by the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg. While on a four-day visit to Chisinau, Commissioner Hammarberg is assessing the human rights after the elections. Opposition representatives have already met the Strasbourg dignitary. Mr. Hammarberg will issue a report on the postelection situation in Moldova and will present it to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on April 29. (Source: europalibera.org)

The Secretary-General of the European Union Council, Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, has said that the “composition of the commission in charge with investigating the causes of the Chisinau disturbances will be enlarged.” He made this announcement on Friday evening, after meeting President Vladimir Voronin. “I have agreed with the president that the commission he has established will also include representatives of the opposition, in order to improve the situation in this area. Leaders of the opposition have given green light to this proposal,” Solana stated. He noted that the possibility of including representatives of European organisations in the commission is being considered. Solana expressed gratitude that President Voronin “has confirmed the plans of the Moldovan authorities to accomplish the amnesty of participants in the Chisinau unrest.” (Source: Infotag)

Representatives of the Moldovan opposition insist on establishing an international commission to elucidate the causes of the April 7–8 disturbances in Chisinau. This announcement was made on Monday evening during the programme “In Profunzime” aired by Pro TV, which brought together PLDM chairman PLDM, Vlad Filat, AMN chairman Serafim Urechean and PL deputy chairman Dorin Chirtoaca. Urechean stated that so far the governance did not invite the opposition to participate in the state commission for investigating the events concerned. “We will consider such offers if we get them. But of course, this commission, which includes all PCRM representatives, cannot study fairly what has happened,” Urechean added. (Source: Infotag)

European Union Council Secretary-General Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, met the leaders of the three opposition parliamentary parties, Mihai Ghimpu, Vlad Filat and Serafim Urechean, in Chisinau on Friday. PLDM leader Vlad Filat reconfirmed to the media after the meeting that the opposition has told Solana its univocal position and attitude towards the post-election developments in Moldova. “We have asked Solana to help deploying an international commission to Chisinau in order to investigate the April 6–7 events,” Filat stated. AMN leader Serafim Urechean told journalists that “the opposition has informed Solana regarding all crimes committed by the ruling totalitarian regime in Moldova.” Asked if Brussels pressures the opposition to cooperate with the PCRM in the new parliament, Urechean said that he did not feel such a pressure. “I am sure that this time the communists will not find the necessary vote to elect the president. We will not participate in the election of the president,” added Urechean, speaking on behalf of all three parties. PL leader Mihai Ghimpu confirmed his solidarity with his opposition fellows. The opposition leaders noted that they have agreed to meet Solana after he will discuss with the Moldovan president, PCRM chairman Vladimir Voronin. (Source: Infotag)

A delegation from the European Union led by Marianne Mikko, head of the delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation Commission, met representatives of the media and media NGOs in Chisinau on Monday. Taking part in the meeting were both representatives of the independent media and of the public television Moldova-1 and OMEGA, a multimedia news agency closed to the ruling party. They discussed the conduct of Moldova-1 during the electoral campaign, the way it covered the April 6–7 events, the torturing of participants by the police after the protests, emphasis of OMEGA, NIT, N4 reports, the conduct of the independent media in relations with the ruling party in the latest period. The European delegation visits Moldova during April 27–29, 2009, being set to attend sittings with representatives of the media, NGOs, opposition parties, visit Prison # 13 and meet Moldova’s leadership. (Source: Unimedia)

The Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM) undergoes groundless financial controls in terms of time, says leader Vlad Filat. He told a press conference on Tuesday, April 28 that such actions by state control bodies are “an ordure and a meddling of these institutions into the political process.” Filat described the control on PLDM as “an attempt to pressure those who do not think the same way the communists do.” He noted that the control was initially set for Tuesday morning, but it was postponed for the next day meanwhile. “As a rule, such controls are operated once in three years, while the PLDM underwent such a checking a year ago,” the PLDM leader stressed. Filat underlined that he will appeal to the Ministry of Finance to learn how many parties underwent fiscal controls until now, the names of these parties and, especially how many controls were operated on the PCRM. PL and AMN confirmed that they have been summoned by the Tax Inspectorate as well. (Source: Info-Prim / Unimedia)