The political parties will not be able to seriously define their strategies on the eve of the parliamentary elections without consulting a work as “Electoral Lessons at Moldova's Democracy School”, says political analyst Igor Botan, the executive director of the Association for Participative Democracy “Adept”. The book was launched on Thursday, July 3, by Info-Prim Neo news agency, and is a compilation of infos and analytical materials, offering a chronological, topical and factual scrutiny of the main events and processes having marked the election of the new local public administrations.
According to the analyst, the compilation is a serious and welcome contribution to the bibliography on the electoral process in Moldova.
The book is meant for a wide scope of beneficiaries: journalists, professors and students in the branch, NGOs, political formations, diplomatic missions, international bodies, local authorities, voters.
“Laboring on the work, the editorial policy of the agency was employed, as it now can be worded simply and concisely: the Agency sees the things through the eyes of the simple citizen, the voter in this case, and works for him,” Info-Prim Neo's director Valeriu Vasilica has said.
He remarked the work has been realized “with the hard work” of Info-Prim Neo journalists, because it was made as the agency passed through very hard times. “Developing the agency and creating the work have been done simultaneously. We hope it will take the shape of a new stage of displaying the team's capacity to assert themselves on the Moldovan media market, and first of all, in the eyes of the info consumer from Moldova, and not only,” Valeriu Vasilica said.
The publication brings up a series of new elements for the Moldovan media. For the first time, the agency has analyzed the electoral lists, every single opponent, every single party. “This method – as simple as efficient – was necessary under the circumstances when the voter was largely deprived of the right to be informed fairly, fast, from the first source and fully as to the electoral offers,” Valeriu Vasilica explained. Also for the first time, the performance of the former administration was scrutinized, also because most of the racing parties had been represented in the former Municipal Council.
“The compilation also analyzes the performance of the new local administration, as, in a democratic country, the electoral process does not cease after closing the polling stations,” Valeriu Vasilica pointed out. From the informational viewpoint, the published materials are accompanied by a rich data base. Thus, the stories from the election day related to the turnout are added to data from 4-5 former ballots recorded on the same day and at the same hour. The data can be useful for the citizen and for parties in developing their strategies.
In realizing the work, the news agency was motivated by the lack of an electoral tradition in Moldova. The president of APEL broadcasters association, Alexandru Dorogan, has appreciated “the noble intention” of Info-Prim Neo to make up for the informational vacuum and strengthen the informational component, and especially the analytical one, in the electoral process. “The lack of electoral experience and tradition is a serious problem for Moldova. That is why, it is very important for voters, journalists and politicians to learn and take lessons after each electoral race. Without these lessons, the electorate is unpredictable and easy to manipulate, including through media,” Alexandru Dorogan remarked.
“The compilation is a journalism lesson, first,” said the executive manager of the Independent Press Association, Petru Macovei. “There are very many journalists ashamed of what they wrote a year ago, in other political conjunctures. The fact that Info-Prim Neo has published the stories of a year ago in a book is not only a feat, but a proof that the objective information never rusts,” Petru Macovei said.
1,000 copies of “Electoral Lessons at Moldova's Democracy School” have been published by “Universitas” publishing house, with the support of the Lithuanian Embassy to Moldova. The book has been distributed, as a donation, to journalism schools, media and political organizations.
