alegeri.md

The Constitutional Court (CC) rejected the application submitted by the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM), in which it requested examination of the fact whether the members of Government that are dismissed by motion of censure can be re-elected into the Government or the Parliament. According to the Court’s decision, the issues raised by the applicants need no interpretation by the Constitution Court. At the same time, the Court also found inadmissible the application by the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) concerning organization of voting precincts in the Russian Federation. In the same context, the Court maintained that the establishment of the number of voting precincts abroad is an issue of opportunity and that it is in the competence of the authorities responsible for organization of elections, which are more adequate in assessing the possibilities and practical needs of organization of voting abroad. // constcourt.md

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) organized a protest in front of the office of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), demanding the dismissal of the CEC chairman Iurie Ciocan for the reason of illegal registration of the Reformatory Communist Party (PCR) as an electoral contestant. Eduard Musuc, MP representing the PCRM, said that the CEC led by Iurie Ciocan in fact acted on the political order of the government, and reformatory communists are a clone aimed to mislead people. On the other hand, CEC chairman Iurie Ciocan confirmed that there had been litigation between the PCRM and the CEC on this issue, but the legality of registration of the Reformatory Communist Party was confirmed by decision of the Supreme Court of Justice. // politik.md

Alexandr Petkov, MP representing the Party of Communists, announced his decision to participate in the parliamentary elections of 30 November on the electoral list of the “Patria (Homeland)” Party. The communist mentioned that he chose this party in order to continue fighting against oligarchs and corruption. Renato Usatii, leader on the party’s list, said he had known Petkov for a long time and that they share many visions.

Members and supporters of the “Alegerea Moldovei — Uniunea Europeana (Moldova’s Choice — the Customs Union)” Electoral Bloc organized protests in front of the offices of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM), the Liberal Party (PL) and the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), demanding convocation of an extraordinary Parliament meeting on the issue of opening additional voting precincts in the Russian Federation. According to protesters, the current government shows fear of the fact that the elections of 30 November might bring unexpected results, when the majority of Moldovans would offer maximum trust to the Eurasian vector.

The Party for Unification of Moldova (PpUM) supports the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) in the parliamentary elections of 30 November. In a press release, the party’s representatives mentioned that currently only the PDM is worthy of leading the country, as it has a realistic program, a professional team, and strong leaders. // publika.md

In the context of the pressures from the Coalition partners on the Liberal Reformatory Party (PLR) by means of recruiting ministers, illegally dismissing the director of the “Moldsilva” agency, and using completely non-democratic methods to exercise influence on the employees of public institutions to vote for the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM) or the Democratic Party (PDM), the PLR addressed an appeal to the Moldovan president Nicolae Timofti. According to the PLR, at this important time, the country’s president can, as a guarantor of the Constitution, intervene into this situation and return to normal “the political balance of the pro-European political forces with a view to continue ensuring the European course.” The Liberal Reformatory Party repeatedly stated that it tried to convoke the Coalition’s Council, but all such attempts failed.

The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) has received a warning from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) for violations of the electoral legislation referring to the placement of electoral advertizing. Particularly, the socialists were warned for having set up a tent in the courtyard of the Clinical Hospital no. 1 of Chisinau municipality and for having conducted electoral propaganda in the courtyard of the medical institution. Later, the Police Inspectorate of the Botanica district in Chisinau notified the CEC about this fact, claiming that the patients’ tranquility had been disrupted. As a result, the CEC issued a warning to the electoral contestant and demanded the party to refrain from such actions and to abide by legal rules. // realitatea.md

The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) has been warned by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) after the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) submitted a notification to the CEC, claiming that the PLDM violates the rules concerning placement of advertizing boards. The communists presented to the CEC several pictures proving that the PLDM placed an electoral advertizing banner on the town hall of the Vatra town and on power lines. Also, the PLDM has been warned today by the CEC for failing to abide by the legislation on electoral meetings. The CEC received a notification from the Antimafia People’s Movement, claiming that the PLDM leader Vlad Filat participated in an electoral meeting with the employees of a regional hospital during their working hours on the premises of the medical institution.  // realitatea.md

Although the representation of women in the electoral lists of contestants for the parliamentary elections of 30 November exceeded 30%, women are mainly placed on lowest positions. Gender inequality has also been seen in televised appearances. These conclusions were made by the authors of a report presented by the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections and the Partnership for Development Center.

According to experts, this year the number of women on electoral lists is the largest, having grown from 16% in 1998 to 31% now. The majority of women are in the second half of electoral lists, with over 40% of female candidates being on places 61–70. From the 1,861 candidates for the Parliament, 577 are women. Women’s presence on 16 televisions has also been subject to monitoring, which showed that between 28 October and 9 November women appeared in 35% of the broadcast electoral ads, while men — in almost 80%. // IPN