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The voter turnout for the July 29 poll is 58.77%, not 58.5% as was announced before. The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) convened an extraordinary sitting on August 5 to make a change to the vote tabulation protocols. After checking up the data base, CEC concluded that the number of voters on the list was mistaken at one of polling stations. “The new figure does not influence the election final results, only the turnout,” said CEC Chairman Eugeniu Stirbu. Thus, 1,591,757 Moldovans cast votes on July 29. (Info-Prim Neo)

The July 29 early parliamentary elections have shown the ruling Party of Communists is still enjoying a fairly high popularity (over 50% of ballots) among voters in about every third district of the Republic of Moldova. According to the final election results just made public by the Moldovan Central Electoral Commission, the most “communist” are the districts of Taraklia, Ocnita, Dubasari, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Donduseni, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, and Riscani, as well as Balti city and the autonomous region of Gagauzia. And the “least communist” are the districts of Ialoveni, Nisporeni and Orhei, where the Communists’ Party won under 30% ballots. The Moldova Noastra Alliance won the most in the districts of Calarasi and Causeni — 16.35% and 16.78%, respectively. The Liberal Party appeared to be strong in the districts of Straseni, Nisporeni, Ialoveni, Criuleni and in Chisinau city — 20% to 30%. The Liberal Democratic Party received over 20% ballots in the districts of Edinet, Falesti, Floresti and Singerei. The Democratic Party of Moldova is quite popular in the districts of Edinet, Falesti, Floresti and Singerei — 15% to 20%. The Christian Democratic People’s Party won the most in the district of Stefan Voda — 8.53%, and the Social Democratic Party — in the district of Anenii Noi (11.08%). (Infotag)

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe of the US Congress has invited for hearings Moldovan Ambassador Nicolae Chirtoaca; Valentina Cusnir, a former member of the Moldovan parliament; Nadine Gogu, acting director of the Independent Journalism Center in Moldova, Chisinau; and Louis O’Neill, a former head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The hearings start in Washington at 10 am, the Washington Times. Commission Chairman Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, Maryland Democrat, and Co-Chairman Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, Florida Democrat, expect the witnesses to discuss the future of U.S.-Moldova relations, after last week’s parliamentary elections. (Info-Prim Neo)

Unlike the situation after the April 5 parliamentary elections, when the opposition was given access to voter lists, now there shall be no such access, Moldovan Central Electoral Commission Secretary Iurie Ciocan stated today upon hearing a decision passed by the Supreme Court of Justice. “We regard this decision as a correct one because voter registers contain citizens’ personal information that is not subject to publicity. Also, the prohibition of access to voter lists is in line with international practice, such as, for instance, the CIS Code of Advanced Practices and an analogous Code of the Council of Europe’s”, CEC Secretary stressed. Shortly after last April 5, the opposition parties were given such access to voter registers, thank to which they revealed a whole number of violations, but election results all the same were not declared as void. (Infotag)

“I welcome the decision to form an anticommunist alliance that is to devise a common platform aimed at ‘de-communizing’ Moldova,” the Chairman of the Actiunea Europeana (European Action) Movement (MAE) Anatol Petrencu said in a media interview. According to Petrencu, the July 29 elections showed that the Communists’ authority among voters and Vladimir Voronin’s monopoly have weakened. However, the PCRM should not be underestimated because it is still a strong, Stalinist-like party with strict discipline and is highly improbable that it will disband from inside, Anatol Petrencu stressed. The MAE leader believes that the election outcome is a small victory for democracy that should not be rendered absolute. “The important thing is that the president of the Democratic Party of Moldova, Marian Lupu, who had been a PCRM prominent leader and a party pillar until recently, keeps his word and does not betray the voters. The four Democratic parties must have a common platform on the democratic reformation of Moldova”. The MAE is ready to organize a meeting in support of the future alliance between the PLDM, PL, AMN and PDM. Petrencu said that it is important that the act of creating the future government be as transparent as possible. (Info-Prim Neo)

The Liberal Party (PL) sues the decision of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) giving the Communists 48 seats in the Parliament. PL leader Mihai Ghimpu wants the Chisinau Court of Appeal to decide on allotting by a seat to the Liberal Party and Moldova Noastra (Our Moldova) Alliance, taking them from the PCRM and the PLDM. On August 4, the AMN’s and the PL’s representatives to CEC did not agree with the d’Hondt method of calculating the parliamentary seats, showing their own formulae. Besides, the PL asked a team of mathematicians under the aegis of the Moldovan Academy of Science to say their opinion regarding the D’Hondt method and how does it comply with provisions of the Election Code and the Constitution saying that every vote has the same legal weight. The mathematicians answered in the way that pleased the Liberals. However, the CEC secretary Iurie Ciocan said then the mathematical method was right, but not legal. Referring to the talks with the other three non-Communist parties about setting up a ruling coalition, the Liberal leader has said those “go slowly, but well.” As the PLDM leader, the PL president says the negotiations are not conducted around sharing offices, but around principles. One of them, according to Mihai Ghimpu, is building a state of law respecting the rights of all the citizens. He wants the future coalition to be named the Coalition for European Integration and has called on the ethnic minorities not fear the Liberals’ coming to power. (Info-Prim Neo)

On Wednesday, the PL leaders met with the Russian Ambassador in Chisinau, Valeri Kuzimin. The PL deputy Chairman, Dorin Chirtoaca related that during the visit, they discussed the Transnistrian problem, the future coalition and the relations with the Russian Federation. The Ambassador has expressed the Russia’s position to have good relations with Moldova, while Chirtoaca has informed Valeri Kuzimin about the PL objective to have friendly Moldovan-Russian relations, despite the rumors spread by Communists. Chirtoaca stressed that it is important to have correct bilateral economic relations and Ambassador Kuzimin assured that the Russian Federation will give a $500 mln loan to the Republic of Moldova, not personally to Vladimir Voronin.