[{ – Civil society says this year the election campaign for the parliamentary elections was more dynamic. What are the reasons?}]
– Most of the events actually took place during the last 30-40 days of the campaign, when the visibility was very good. The ordinary people could use various sources of information, starting with the mass media, which better covered the election campaign, and ending with the activism of the parties whose campaigns were much better than those for the referendum. I think this time all the parties had more freedom in planning their campaigns and carrying them out. In general, the freedom of expression and the access to the public and private media have improved.
[{ – Did the broadcasters change their policies on the coverage of the election campaign? }]
– There is a great difference in the way in which the public TV channel covered the election campaign before these elections and now. Besides, the new TV channels allotted more free airtime to the election campaign this year, including to talk shows on electoral topics. This abundance of information helped the people realize the importance of making a conscious decision in elections.
[{– What were the effects of parties' campaigns on elections?}]
– I consider our parties have weak points here as they implemented strategies that sometimes lacked effect. Many people expressed indignation at the sums that they presume the election runners allocated for placing election posters all over the country as it looks like narcissism. A number of political parties and party leaders resorted to cheap tricks in order to appear on the front covers of certain magazines. The people realized it was hidden publicity and an additional occasion to attract the voters' attention. It was nothing but a waste of money.
On the other hand, the Central Election Commission devised its information campaign differently, focusing on every age bracket. The Commission's work was a nice surprise for me. The process of informing the people about the elections has been very well organized. The way in which the young people and elderly people react to recommendations was not neglected.
[{– How did civil society perform?}]
– For us, it was very important to see animation on the segment of elections. A larger number of NGOs had implemented voter education and campaign monitoring projects. Moreover, more NGOs worked in rural areas and carried out voter education activities there. A network was created in the areas that are far from Chisinau to inform the people about the voting procedure and parties' candidates, contributing to the development of political consciousness.
[{– What should politicians and voters learn from this year's election campaign?}]
– The political parties finally understood that it is the people that are the main players, not they. Civil society will produce different monitoring reports and the politicians should familiarize themselves with the recommendations and conclusions formulated there.
As to the voters, I want to believe that they are now more mature and perceive democracy in a different way. If the parties continue to make effort to improve civic and political culture and focus on the people as the main elements of society, the people's participation in the political and social life will increase.
[Alexandru Popescu, Info-Prim Neo]