alegeri.md

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) registered two more parties and one independent candidate for the elections of 30 November 2014. First, it registered independent candidate Valeriu Plesca, who has been given two days to withdraw from the position he is currently holding. Next, the CEC registered the Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM) and the “Pentru Neam şi Ţară (For Nation and Country)” Party (PpNN), with 53 candidates in the electoral list each. At the same time, the CEC refused to register independent candidate Petru Stamate, motivating it by his failing to gather the necessary number of signatures for registration. // tribuna.md

Minister of Youth and Sport Octavian Bodisteanu announced at a press conference about his withdrawal from the Liberal Reformatory Party (PLR) in order to bring to the end his ministerial mandate and to avoid participating in certain games and being subjected to certain political pressure. The minister will continue executing his mandate on his own. He mentioned that the decision had not been easy, but that he wants to save the country’s European future.

At the same time, PLR chairman Ion Hadarca said that Bodisteanu showed weakness and did not resist. “The decision is his concern. We are cleaning ourselves from brushwood.” // unimedia.md

The funding of electoral campaigns for the parliamentary elections of 30 November 2014 has been the main problem found by the Promo-LEX Monitoring Effort, which it indicated in the third report on election monitoring.

Experts noted that no electoral contestant made weekly reports about their income in publications with nationwide circulations; only one electoral contestant (the Party of Communists) transferred into its electoral fund resources from the party’s account; three out of 15 electoral contestants (the Liberal Party, the People’s Power Party, the “Democratia Acasa (Democracy at Home)” Party) presented financial reports with zero income and expenses; 85.2% of expenses went for advertizing and about 13% went for transportation; only 3 out of 15 electoral contestants (“Patria (Homeland)” Party, the Party of Socialists and the Antimafia People’s Movement) included transportation expenses into their financial reports; no electoral contestant reported about expenses for office rent, labor payment, rewards and maintenance of permanent offices, although Promo-LEX observers on site noted the use of at least 226 offices. Promo-LEX also mentioned that the 55 million lei threshold set by the CEC had not been reached by any electoral contestant. A single contestant reached 18.47% of the maximum amount set by the CEC.

In terms of the media coverage of the electoral campaign, the Promo-LEX Monitoring Effort mentions that only four electoral contestants are predominant subjects of materials produced by local and regional media outlets. // tribuna.md

At a press conference, leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) Igor Dodon made public the results of the meetings he had in Moscow with the Russian President and the administration of Russia’s Federal Migration Service. According to Dodon, an important result of his visit to Moscow has been the decision of the Federal Migration Service, according to which all Moldovan citizens who had violated the migration legislation of the Russian Federation can come to Moldova between 5 and 30 November and then return to Russia for work without any problems. “I am appealing to all citizens in the risk group to use this unique opportunity and finally meet their families and maybe even participate in elections,” the socialist leader said.

All extreme left parties involved into the electoral campaign in Moldova are financed by the Russian Federation and are working in the interests of that country. The statement has been made by the People’s Power Party leader Nicolae Chirtoaca at the “Pahomi” talk show on Realitatea TV television. Chirtoaca believes that the main task of these parties is to cut from the electorate of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, which turned against the Customs Union, and to come to power in order to prevent Moldova’s European integration. Chirtoaca also suggested authorities to hold accountable the parties that are financed from abroad and are working in the interests of another country. // IPN