Elections for People’s Assembly of Gagauzia have met international standards

The elections for the People’s Assembly of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia have met the international norms, say members of the delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRA), Info-Prim Neo reports. The second round of voting held in Gagauzia was monitored by a delegation of the CLRA, including representatives of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. The delegation covered the entire territory of the region, visiting all the polling stations. The international delegation said that the elections were held in a fair manner. They appreciated the cooperation between the local and central authorities and welcomed the principle of taking decisions that are as close to the citizens as possible, a fundamental principle from the viewpoint of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. The delegation pointed to evident progress compared with the first round of election held on March 16, 2008. Additional measures were taken to keep the secrecy of the vote and to improve the situation regarding mobile ballot boxes. However, certain irregularities and deviations were noticed during the second vote too. The paper on which the electoral rolls were printed was of a poor quality and it could be seen who the people voted for. The delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe recommend the Central Election Commission to introduce an electronic electoral register as soon as possible. The international experts also recommend instituting a central register will all the eligible voters of Gagauzia. The Congress will draw up a report on the held elections. In this connection, it calls on the Gagauz authorities to take account of all the recommendations that the report will contain, especially the recommendations that will be useful for the 2009 legislative elections.