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The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has registered two more contenders that will participate in the July 29 legislative elections. These are the Socio-Political Movement “European Action” (MAE) and the Ecologist Party “Green Alliance”. The decision was made public on July 10. The MAE list includes 83 candidates for MP, while the list of the Ecologist Party “Green Alliance” — 65. The CEC refused to register Oleg Bolotnicov and Maia Laguta, who lodged the documents to run as independent candidates. The Commission said that a part of the signatures in support of the two candidates were invalid. Thus, the ballots for the July 29 elections will contain 10 parties. (Info-Prim)

CEC has accredited national and international observers to monitor the July 29, 2009 parliamentary elections as follows: 3 international observers on behalf of the Hungarian Embassy to Moldova; 87 national observers on behalf of the League for the Protection of Human Rights; 27 national observers on behalf of the Alliance of Community Information Access and Training Centres from Moldova. (CEC communiqué)

As many as 297 polling stations will open in the Chisinau municipality for the July 29, 2009 early parliamentary elections. Of them, 242 polling stations will open in the city of Chisinau and 55 in suburbs. In comparison with the April 5, 2009 elections, four more polling stations will open, of which 3 in the district of Botanica and one in the commune of Budesti. The necessity to open these stations is explained by the effective legislation, which says that the number of electors per polling station shall not exceed 3,000 people. Bureaus of polling stations will start working on July 14. Till then, the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) is due to approve candidates to electoral offices, with this issue being included in the agenda of the Monday-set CMC sitting. Electoral lists will be published and displayed at polling stations. (press release by Chisinau City Hall)

The councilors of the Chisinau Municipal Council were to endorse the members of the electoral bureaus on July 10, still did not have quorum for its sitting. Since they failed to do so, now interim mayor Nistor Grozavu is empowered to undersign the documents, stated CMC secretary Valeriu Didencu. (Info-Prim)

More than 100 electors have called the Hotline of the Central Electoral Commission in the first week of operation of this service and got information about voting procedures for the July 29, 2009 parliamentary elections. Most of questions were related to applying for electoral certificates, checking names in voter rolls, voting outside of the country. Electors are welcome to call the free number 0 800 33 300 from any locality of Moldova (from wire telephones). No appeals and complaints are collected on this telephone number. (CEC communiqué)

The electoral contestants can file applications for raising interest-free loans for conducting the election campaign by July 17. The regulations concerning the conditions of granting such loans were published in the July 10 number of the Official Monitor. The interest-free loan from the state budget is released to parties, socio-political organizations and independent candidates through the agency of the financial proxy designated by the election runner for the purpose. A party or socio-political organization can apply for at most 25,000 lei, while an independent candidate — for 3,000 lei. The regulations say that the loans allocated from the budget can be repaid, partially or fully, by the state according to the number of votes cast for the electoral contestant in a given constituency. (Info-Prim Neo)

The Civil Board of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) has rejected the application filed by the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) against the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) over the violation of students’ right to vote, saying it is groundless. On June 30, the AMN lodged an application with the CEC, asking that the students be allowed to vote at the place where they will be on the Election Day, not obliging them to submit declarations about the change of address. The CEC rejected the application. The AMN’s representative to the CEC Nicolae Raileanu said that the party is concerned that a large part of the students with residence visa in Chisinau, but permanent domicile elsewhere did not manage to inform where they will be on the voting day until June 26, as stipulated in a CEC decision. (Info-Prim Neo)

“Unfortunately, a series of TV stations returned to the practice from the previous campaign and the violations are much more severe,” stated media expert Vasile State at a news conference on July 10. “If you watch Moldova 1, NIT, N4, you’ll notice certain trends of political partisanship in the PCRM’s (Communists) favor,” said State, who is the coordinator of a project of observing televisions in electoral races. “The practice is continued, although during the previous campaign, for similar conducts, the TV operators were publicly warned by the Audiovisual Coordinating Council and were obliged to insure political balance and pluralism.” The conclusion is contained in a press release issued by the Electronic Press Association (APEL) following a monitoring session having last from June 17 to 30 — the first two weeks of the campaign. EuTV, Moldova 1, N4 and NIT heavily covered, in newscasts in a positive context, politicians representing the government and, most often — Vladimir Voronin and Iurie Rosca, State said. In a negative context most often were put the leaders of the Liberal, Liberal Democratic, Moldova Noastra Alliance Parties. ProTV and TV7 largely keep being equidistant with the political actors, he added. (Info-Prim Neo)

On Thursday the Court of Appeal declined the appeal of Moldova Noastra Alliance against the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on depriving the organization of the right for a retort in the Resonance program on the NIT TV channel. AMN representative Dumitru Graur said that the Court’s decision is illegitimate, as it was taken in the absence of the plaintiff. “We are indignant that the law and order authorities do not only take unjust decisions, but they are also biased”, Graur said. He remarked that the AMN will appeal against the decision, taken by the Court of Appeal, to the Supreme Court of Justice. In his words, on June 30 AMN submitted an application to the CEC, where it requested to give it the right to retort on the NIT TV channel in the form of demonstrating a 45-minute film “In Defense of Moldova” in the response to the Communists, who demonstrated the film “The Attack at Moldova”, which discredits the opposition. The AMN representative added that despite of the fact that the AMN’s application was submitted on June 30, the CEC took its decision only on July 3 and it gave only 58 seconds for a retort, which, in the AMN’s opinion, is not just and non-proportional to the duration of the film “The Attack on Moldova”. (Infotag)

Only opposition representatives and supporters were involved in damaging advertising posters. The data, presented by the Public Order Department Chief of the Ministry of Interior Petru Corduneanu at the CEC sitting on Friday, testifies to this. He said that from the beginning of the election campaign six cases of damaging the election advertising posters were registered, representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova committed the last three violations and two violations were committed by members of the Moldova Noastra Alliance. The representative of the Ministry of Interior did not specify, whose posters were damaged. He also quoted cases, when opposition representatives were making offensive inscriptions, aimed against the Party of Communists, in forbidden places. When asked to comment on the appearance of such inscriptions as “Crush Romanians” and “Besarabia is a Romanian Land”, Corduneanu said that the police have not begun the investigation of this affair. He reassured representatives of the CEC and the parties that the Ministry of Interior patrols in the night time town and villages streets in order to prevent illegal actions, connected with the upcoming elections. (Infotag)

The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) has asked the Central Electoral Commission to oblige the Teleradio-Moldova public TV company to organize election debates not only in Moldovan but also in the Russian language. Speaking at a news conference today, PLDM deputy leader Alexandru Tanase said that only this way the opposition would be able to present its point of view to the Russian-speaking electorate. Tanase accused the Communists and the pro-government mass media of misinforming the Russian-language population and of splitting society according to the ethnic principle. He presented pictures showing the slogan: “Let’s defend Fatherland from Moldovans,” graffiti on several buildings in Chisinau say. “Have the Communists and their media indeed pursued the goal of splitting society according to the ethnic principle?! If so, then they have achieved this goal,” Tanase said. PLDM MP Vitalie Nagacevschi told the same news conference that the Criminal Code carries serious punishment for instigation of ethnic hatred. He urged the prosecution to investigate these cases of xenophobia. (Infotag)

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) says it will launch a site www.tradatori.md after the July 29 elections on which it will post a list with Moldovan traitors. The first will be Eduard Musuc, a former PSD secretary, who is now running on position 43 on the Communists’ list (PCRM) and former Communist Marian Lupu, the first on the Democratic Party’s (PDM) list for parliament. “Be sure, after the elections more traitors will appear,” PSD member Dumitru Godoroja told a news conference on July. He made a reputation by throwing eggs at Musuc. Iurie Bolboceanu, the PSD’s deputy president, has said the PCRM tried to destabilize the situation in the PSD through three “projects”: “the Musuc project”, “the Lupu project” and “the Rosca project — the law-enforcement and controlling entities — Voronin”. (Info-Prim Neo)

The PCRM candidate, Oleg Reidman, gave a news conference on July at which he replied to charges related to the economic policies of the ruling party, brought about by its electoral opponents. Reidman made a list of economic issues discussed by society during this period, on which he evinced his party’s positions. “Except for 2009 with its crisis, no year passed without recording growths of salaries, pensions, social indemnities, the state budget, investments,” said the former presidential advisor in charge with the economic affairs. He explains the halt in the relations with the IMF is a natural procedure since the country does not have a parliament. Referring to the relations with the IMF, Reidman has said that in 2002, when they were frozen, it was because of the IMF’s stance, “which was accustomed with the 90s governments. They did what the IMF told them to”. “But to us they said to come up with proposals that they may endorse,” Reidman stated. Speaking about the 500-million-dollar loan promised by Russia, Oleg Reidman has said now its conditions are negotiated. “The loan was accepted in order to counterbalance the debts from the West and this is to confirm our policy according to which Moldova is where its interests are,” he said. (Info-Prim Neo)

The Liberal Party (PL) accuses the Party of Communists (PCRM) that during those 8 years of rule, it has isolated Moldova and has turned it into a state with uncertain status. “Today it’s obvious that, on the international arena, Moldova is in the worst situation since its independence,” reads a statement by the PL. The international isolation of Moldova has completed after the April 7, 2009, the party specifies. At the same time, the party says the present government neglected the recommendations of the international bodies as to the situation after the April 5 poll and purposely isolated Moldova, “pursuing to hinder the free development of the economy, to block the free movement of scientific and cultural values, of people, goods and capitals in our region, which is of geo-strategic importance for the entire European space.” The PL is also unhappy with the worsening of the relations of Moldova with Romania and condemns the visa regime, what, in their view, paralyzed the business environment in both states and caused scores of problems. The PL considers that only the instalment of a democratic government will unblock Moldova’s international isolation. (Info-Prim Neo)

“Actiunea Europeana” (European Action) Movement is seeking the emergent dismissal of Prosecutor-General Valeriu Gurbulea upon his recent statements regarding the repression acts after the April 7, 2009 events. “We are deeply astonished with the irresponsible position of the Prosecutor-General, who suggested in a rough attempt to manipulate the public opinion that the abuses, ill-treatment and torture faced by young people at police commissariats are the fruit of some «inventions»”, reads a statement by the party. (jurnal.md)

CEC members decided on Friday to prohibit several electoral spots of the communists, as they violate the electoral legislation. The decision envisages an electoral advertising featuring Romanian President Traian Basescu; it contravenes to the regulation on the media coverage of the electoral campaign, which prohibits any pictures which feature foreign officials. The second advertising features Marian Lupu. “This spot misleads TV watchers who associate Lupu with the PCRM, and this distorts the current situation,” the PD representative to CEC, Andrei Volentir, stated. The third advertising spot of PCRM prohibited by CEC features the Parliament, and this is a breach of legislation. (jurnal.md)