Electoral Commission urges parties, media to sign Conduct Code in electoral race

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) urges political parties and the media to sign the Conduct Code on holding and covering the electoral campaign for the 2009 parliamentary elections. The first 13 parties and 15 media, including Info-Prim Neo, signed it on Friday, January 23, immediately after it was presented by the CEC. “In this electoral race we'll go on the idea of demonstrating how god we, the ones from AMN, are and not how bad the others are,” said first deputy president of Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) Veaceslav Untila as he inked the document. “However we're worried this Code will not be observed,” he added. Ion Cebanu from the Liberal Party (PL) has said he has signed it because “PL will always back any action of the CEC.” “This convention conveys more however a symbolical character which impels the electoral competitors not to get out of the legal boundaries,” he specified. “We commit to participate in this electoral race with a constructive message. We will not get up to the Moldovan practice related to attacking the person, and other competitors are also bound to commit to do so,” the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM), Vlad Filat, commented. He also showed skepticism as to the observance of the Conduct Code. National Liberal leader Vitalia Pavlicenco showed the same concerns but has not inked the document. “Pretending to observe the Electoral Code, CEC developed this conduct code to actually create the illusion that there can be free and democratic elections in Moldova. But there cannot be elections in general under an oppressing Communist regime,” she said. “The parties signing the code do it for their images mostly, to show they are better, but they will realize they made a mistake and will breech it, because they will have to retort to the dirt the Red-Orange coalition is going to pour over their heads,” the PNL leader said. According to CEC's deputy chairwomen Renata Lapti, compared to 2007, the media show more interest for this code. “Everybody is free to decide to sign it or not,” she said. The Conduct Code may be signed by political parties and media including during the electoral campaign. If a signatory breeches the principles of the document, ¼ of signatories can ask to punish it. Out of 28 parties registered by the Justice Ministry, 13 have inked the document: AMN, Republican Party, Ecologist Party, Moldova Unita, Social Democrat Party, PLDM, Democratic Party, Communists Party, Patria-Rodina Party, Speranta Movement, PL, Centrist Union, People's Christian Democratic Party. Moldova 1 TV has also signed the Code.