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Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) monitored the constitutional referendum in Moldova on 5 September and assesses that Election Day was calm and orderly. Citizens who participated in the referendum were able, in general, to express their choice freely. PACE delegation regrets the low turnout and believes that now it’s up to the political stakeholders, regardless their positions, to propose solutions to strengthen stability in the general functioning of the institutions of the country and to look beyond their personal or political quarrels. Referendum campaign was negatively affected by constant accusations of political stakeholders from different parties who were responsible for political crisis, but this did not have a negative impact on the behavior of supporters, either “for” or “against” the referendum, and there was no reported case of violence during the campaign. Election administration in general has shown professionalism and acted in a transparent manner, and the efforts to improve the quality of voter lists are welcomed, but there is persistence of significant problems relating to accurate register of voters. The authorities have undertaken efforts to facilitate the participation of citizens living in foreign countries and there are improvements in media coverage of the campaign. At the same time, the PACE delegation believes that recommendation made by some political parties to boycott the referendum contributed in part to non-participation of a significant number of voters. Finally, PACE representatives calls on Moldovan authorities to hold parliamentary elections in accordance with the commitment assumed by Moldovan political stakeholders towards the Council of Europe and to ensure all necessary conditions for free expression of will of all citizens of Moldova. The full report on monitoring over Moldovan constitutional referendum shall be adopted by the Assembly session in October 2010 (4 to 8 October 2010).

Promo-LEX Association has released the preliminary monitoring report of the republican constitutional referendum held on September 5, 2010, within the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections. Promo-Lex had 42 long term observers and 300 short term observers in approximately 15% of polling stations throughout the country. The main noted concerns are the following:

• inadequate preparation of election offices by local public administration;
• existence of fraud ways by improperly issuing the ballots, the use of several ballots by one voter, by including deceased people on the electoral lists;
• limiting transparency during the voting process by prohibition to film and take pictures;
• lowering the secrecy level of voting;
• impeding the exercise of the voting right by voters from Transnistrian region;
• defective access to information about the voting process;
• influencing the voting choice of voters by placing electoral posters close to polling stations;
• preventing the free exercise of the voting right through intimidation acts and restricting the freedom of movement by separatist forces.

Promo-Lex recommendations refer to:

• developing and enforcing measures to punish those members of electoral bodies who do not meet the legal requirements;
• identifying a clear mechanism for the prevention and punishment of attempts to fraud the voting process;
• ensuring the necessary conditions for exercising the voting right by voters in Transnistrian region: setting up stations on the right bank, providing transportation to polling stations;
• improving the legal framework regarding the conduct of electoral advertising made through street advertising billboards etc..

Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) launched the proposal to establish a framework for dialogue with all political parties represented in Parliament. Democrats state that once the constitutional referendum wasn’t validated and under conditions of political crisis the “new premises of vagueness” were created and Moldovan political class should show capacity for constructive dialogue. PDM believes that such consultations, involving all parliamentary parties, must begin without delay .

The Party “European Action Movement” (MAE) thanks all people who came to vote and ensures them that their involvement was not in vain. However, the parliamentary majority parties are called to join efforts in the electoral campaign for parliamentary elections, and MAE declares it can be “the binder of a coagulation project that will lead obtaining at least 60 percent of voters’ choices at the next elections.”

A statement to the citizens, signed by the leader of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM), Vladimir Voronin, states that September 5, 2010 will get into the history as a day of high civic dignity and true political courage of the whole Moldovan people. According to the PCRM leader, it is already clear that the current power and the parliamentary majority has no grounds, either moral, legal, or political, to continue to govern the country, and the dissolution of Parliament and early elections are the key targets. At a press conference on September 6, 2010 the PCRM leader stated the party would support amendments to the Constitution, but only the version that was previously submitted by communist MPs (gradual decrease of the number of MP votes needed to elect the head of state in parliament) and only after the early parliamentary elections. According to Vladimir Voronin, the PCRM national observers have found numerous violations during the referendum, but these will not be submitted to CEC, because the referendum is not validated. Voronin added that the country’s interim President, Mihai Ghimpu, commits usurpation of state power and would be liable to criminal punishment.

President of the Humanist Party of Moldova (PUM), Valeriu Pasat signed a declaration stating that the failure of the constitutional referendum of September 5 was largely forecast, because the party leaders of European Integration Alliance, who initiated the referendum have avoided to conduct a campaign in the full sense of the word. The second reason of the referendum’s failure, is that the government blocked the PUM’s referendum initiative about adopting the law on teaching “Fundamentals of Orthodoxy” in schools. PUM also considers that communists also have there share of fault since, by boycotting the referendum, they did not contribute to strengthening the Moldovan statehood. PUM considers that the only solution is to hold early parliamentary elections and urgent and unconditional dissolution of Parliament.