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The Human Rights League to Moldova, which conducts the monitoring of the election campaign for the early parliamentary elections, which will take place on July 29, in the frame the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Election “Coalition 2009”, is concerned with the course of the election campaign. The LADOM second report on the monitoring for the period from July 1 to 15, which was presented at a news conference on Thursday, underscores shortcomings, which can create negative trends and endanger the entire election process. The organization has revealed a number of violations against the principles of the competitive election process and the Electoral Code. The report says that state employees continue using the administration resource in the election campaign. The LADOM representatives underscored the placement of election advertising posters in forbidden spots and acts of vandalism against election posters, as well as intimidation of election contenders. As for electoral slates, they said that it is difficult to identify them. “The imperfection of the system of compiling and checking the voters lists, delaying their being posted and the lack of citizens’ and observers’ access to those lists do not contribute to strengthen the public trust in the accuracy of the electoral lists and create optimal conditions for multiple voting,” stated LADOM president Paul Strutzescu. (Infotag)

The National Liberal Party (PNL) has officially announced that it quits the electoral race and urged the PNL members and supporters to vote for the Liberal parties. The announcement was made at a news conferee. The PNL president Vitalia Pavlicenco said that the decision was made at a meeting of the party’s Standing Bureau that was also attended by representatives of the local offices. The application to be withdrawn from the race will be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission on Friday, June 17. Vitalia Pavlicenco warned the electoral contenders and the society about the necessity of supervising the ballots. “It is said that a large number of ballots might be printed in a foreign country, probably Israel, and be then mixed with the ballots printed in Moldova. With the help of advanced technology, the voter’s stamp from ballots could be erased and put in front of another election runner,” Pavlicenco said. Members of the PNL call upon the security bodies of Moldova and the embassies to check the given information. The PNL will yet participate in the electoral debates on the public television channel today and tomorrow. (Info-Prim)

Marian Lupu, who is the top candidate in the electoral list of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), denies the press reports that he plans to organize a National Assembly on July 26 to continue the April 6–7 protests. The party says that Marian Lupu is the target for disinformation for certain media outlets loyal to the power. “It is an ordinary insinuation proving that the involved journalists lack deontological ethics,” Marian Lupu said. He also said that for July 26 he scheduled a number of meetings with people from the country’s districts who are categorically against the artificial escalation of the situation in the society. (Info-Prim)

On Thursday the Center on Analyzing and Preventing Corruption and the Eurasia Foundation presented the project “Free Juridical Service in Election Disputes”. Center Director Galina Bostan said that the project was worked out for promoting free and fair elections in Moldova by means of providing free juridical assistance. The Center is designed to facilitate the access of all the voters to justice. “From July 16 to 29 the voters will be able to get free juridical consultations by dialing 080055000 or 238431, which numbers can be also reached from mobile telephone from abroad”, she said. In Bostan’s words, lawyers will exert themselves to help voters to make up protests, complaints and applications. Executive Director of Eurasia Foundation Country Office to Moldova Sorin Mereacre said that the lists of telephone numbers will be available at each polling station. Besides, 35 advertising panels will be installed throughout the entire country. Beside telephone numbers two calls will be placed there: “Check the Voters’ slate” and “Go to Vote”. In Mereacre’s words, the budget of this project, including the printing of texts and the installation of advertising panels, constitutes US$22 thousand. (Infotag)

The Civil Control-2009 Coalition considers that the administration resources are not so widely used in the course of this election campaign, as at the elections of April 5. On Thursday, its Executive Director Alexandr Barbov said at a news conference, when he was presented the second report on the monitoring of the election campaign, that 94 observers have not noticed any cases of using the administration resource. He expressed his concern in the connection with the damage of advertising electoral posters. Besides, there are case of placing election posters without the inscription “paid from the election fund of the candidate”, Barbov said. According to his data, the Central Election Commission did not return all the electoral slates to the polling stations. It revealed mistakes in some of them and returned them for making corrections. The coalition called upon all the parties to refuse to pronounce discrediting, aggressive and radical speeches. The coalition members say that they conduct monitoring at the cost of financial resources, which were preserved from the previous election campaign. (Infotag)

The EU special representative to Moldova, Kalman Mizsei, says there are premises to insure the free and fair character of the July 29 poll. The statement was made at a meeting with acting president Vladimir Voronin. The president has stressed his commitment to hold free and fair early parliamentary elections on July 29 in strict accordance with the democratic standards, by insuring a fair, free, transparent and civilized character of the entire electoral process. Vladimir Voronin and Kalman Mizsei have reiterated their interest in expanding the cooperation between Moldova and the European Union, stressing that the EU wants to start negotiations on a new accord with Moldova. (Info-Prim)

Media NGOs find the climate of the media functioning in Moldova is worsening. They have signed a joint statement reading that the freedom of media is in danger and ask the Greceanai Government and the Party of Communists to stop restricting the constitutional right to information. The statement is signed by the Independent Press Association, the Independent Journalism Center, the Young Journalist Center, the Acces-info Center, the Investigative Journalism Center, the Journalists Union and the Electronic Press Association. “These weeks, several cases of intimidating journalists took place at rallies of prime-minister Zinaida Greceanai, a candidate on the PCRM’s list for parliament, who benefits from body guard, including at the events not related to her exerting her job as a state dignitary,” reads the statement. The statement reads the Moldovan authorities have resumed the illegal and anti-democratic practices of banning some journalists to enter Moldova, on invented reasons. (Info-Prim)

Cornelia Cozonac, the manager of the Investigative Journalism Center (CIN), says that, after the April 5 elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) has become more reluctant in offering information asked by journalists. She made the statement at a meeting held on July 16 by the Acces-info Center, at which they found that the access to the official information had worsened in trimester 2 of this year. The Investigative Journalism Center wants to learn who are the donors of the Party of Communists (PCRM) in this electoral race, since, says Cornelia Cozonac, “in its financial reports submitted to the CEC, the party refers only to payment orders, without giving names.” “It was very had to obtain a piece of information, which is not full, shows but surnames, no locality, no date when the donation was made. They are erased or whitened,” Cozonac has said. (Info-Prim)

“Moldova Noastra (Our Moldova)” Alliance (AMN) accuses the incumbent authorities of neglecting foreign experts’ proposals on combating drug trafficking and considers that it resulted in worsening considerably the situation in this field. On Thursday, AMN First Vice-Chairman Veaceslav Untila remarked at a news conference that as far back as in September 2007 a group of foreign experts recommended Moldova to work out the state strategy on combating drug trafficking; to set up special regional organs on combating drug trafficking; to create specialized database. At the same time, the AMN has the respective document, sent by the President to Minister of Interior Gheorghe Papuc and remarked that the working-out and setting-up of regional departments on combating drug trafficking are not fulfilled. (Infotag)

“Moldova Noastra (Our Moldova)” Alliance (AMN) believes that acting President Vladimir Voronin has bribed the six judges of the Constitutional Court (CC) by giving them “golden Swiss watches worth 3 thousand euros” after the CC declared valid the results of the July 5 parliamentary selections. AMN leaders told a news conference on Thursday that it is not known where the president took money from to buy the watches as no official document about these purchases has been published in Monitorul Oficial. The AMN draws attention to the fact that in line with the current legislation judges do not have the right to take presents whose value is higher than their monthly salary. According to the AMN, CC chairman Dumitru Pulbere has recently confirmed in a TV interview that the judges indeed received these watches from President Voronin. (Infotag)

The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) has worked out a special program on improving medical services for the population. On Thursday, First PLDM Deputy Chairman Mihai Godea said at a news conference that the program envisages an equal access to medical services and treatment for all the social groups; participation in care and treatment, as well as in working out policies in this field; improvement of medical services quality by means of de-monopolizing the system of compulsory medical services; setting-up of independent structure for the monitoring of medical services quality. (Infotag)

The closer the Election Day, the more serious are the abuses and violations of the human rights in Moldova, Stefan Uratu, who is a candidate on the electoral list of the Liberal Party (PL), said at a news conference on Thursday. According to Uratu, the Communist authorities infringe the rights of the citizens. He also said that the budget-paid employees are obliged not only to come to these meetings, but also to bring at least 2–3 persons with them. Otherwise, they would be dismissed. Uratu expressed his indignation at the fact that Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanai, who did not resign from the post for the period of the electoral campaign, cannot be found by the people on the fixed meeting days as she is campaigning. Dozens of persons complain that they spend many days and much money to come to Chisinau to meet the Premier, but they cannot meet her because “she is on field trips and can be seen on TV.” The rights of the detainees are also not respected, Stefan Uratu said. (Info-Prim)

Policemen have issued 75 reports to minibus drivers in Chisinau the last two days, as they posted electoral advertising of the Liberal Party on windows of their vehicles, reads a communiqué released by the party. Tens of motorists complain every day that traffic police officers intimidate them, and issue reports on their names and further hand them fines of 100 lei. According to policemen, the motorists are held for lacking permits to display electoral advertising in public transport. On the other hand, the Regulation of the Central Electoral Commission authorises posting electoral advertising on private estate with the consent of minibus owners and prohibits the displaying of electoral advertising on/in public transport. PL notes that minibuses travelling on Chisinau-Costesti route also carry electoral advertising of the Party of Communists, but their drivers are not intimidated. (PL communiqué)

The Interior Ministry is respecting the principles of guaranteeing a safe security environment to every citizen based on partnership between police and society, modern management and high performance standards. All the accusations brought against the ministry in the latest period, especially during the electoral campaign by some contestants and their media outlets are groundless, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, since the beginning of the electoral campaign the Interior Ministry takes actions to ensure the personal security of all electoral candidates, supervise the security and public order in localities and buildings which host meetings between electoral contestants and voters, prevent and combat administrative contraventions and crimes which attempt on public order. (Moldpres)

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin received on Thursday Mr. Petros Efthymiou, head of the OSCE/PA Delegation for the observance of the early parliamentary elections. The chief of state welcomed the presence in Moldova of the OSCE/PA Election Observation Mission for the July 29 elections, expressing the full opening of the Moldovan authorities for tightest cooperation aimed at free and fair parliamentary elections. Efthymiou stressed the increased interest of the OSCE, EC and EU, other European and regional organisations for the Moldovan parliamentary elections. The European official noted that the July 29 elections shall provide a solution to the political crisis in Moldova and this purpose requires a very well conducting of early elections. In this respect, Voronin and Efthymiou were unanimous regarding the need of eliminating any suspicions related to free and democratic nature of the July 29 elections. The sides particularly indicated the imperative of ensuring right electoral lists and freedom of independent and public media outlets. Voronin reconfirmed the intention of the country’s leadership to do its best for a fair and democratic electoral process and the interest to reach a national consensus after the parliamentary elections. (Moldpres)

“The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova condemns the dirty and denigrating methods and technologies of some electoral contestants, who flagrantly violate the ethical norms and principles of the Electoral Code in our opinion,” PCRM representative Sergiu Sarbu told a news conference on Thursday. “According to PCRM, the basest is the attempt to obstruct many electors from using and exercising their constitutional electoral right,” Sarbu stressed while commenting the calls by PLDM leaders Alexandru Tanase and Vitalie Nagacevschi to hide the identity cards of people who want to vote the PCRM at the early elections. “These statements breach both the Electoral Code and the Constitution of Moldova. Even more, obstructing the electoral right through any means is a crime liable to penal responsibility,” the PCRM representative added. In the context, Sarbu noted that PCRM has appealed on CEC and “it was taken notice in this respect to settle these actions, and these materials were delivered to the Prosecutor-General’s Office for investigations, as they are constitutive elements of the offence.” (newsmoldova.md)

Members of the association of veterans of balneo-sanatorium constructions invite electors to vote for the Social Democratic Party (PSD) at the early parliamentary elections on July 29. Association chairman Ivan Limonov told a news conference on Thursday that the decision to support PSD was made after meeting leaders of this party and after studying the electoral programme of PSD. The association called upon electors to “vote for competent people Vasile Tarlev and Dumitru Braghis.” (Infotag)

The European Action Movement (MAE) launched a brochure on July 16, called ’The Story of a Hero’, about the life of Valeriu Boboc, the young man having died after the April 7 riots. The presentation has taken place in front of the Emergency Hospital in Chisinau, where the man’s corpse is reported to have been found. “This man was not indifferent to what happened on April 7 on the Great National Assembly Square. He was an ordinary protester and did not throw stones at those two buildings. Died a man who should have raised his child and enjoyed life, but it was not to be so,” said MAE leader Anatol Petrencu. (Info-Prim)