Electoral competitors point to numerous abuses committed by authorities in election campaign

The Social Liberal Party (PSL) and the candidate for mayor general of Chisinau on behalf of the Democratic Party (PD) Vladimir Filat denounce the commitment of infringements and abuses by the authorities in the current election campaign, while the ruling party’s candidate for Chisinau mayor Veaceslav Iordan denies the accusations. A communiqué by the PSL points out an incident that occurred on May 13 in Telenesti, where the leader of the party Oleg Serebrian could not meet the voters as planned because the respective hall was occupied by the head of the Parliament Marian Lupu, who was having a meeting with the supporters of the Communist Party (PCRM). The communiqué says that though Lupu took part in an electoral event, he came with the cars of the Parliament accompanied by officers of the State Guard Service. PSL says that other similar cases that can serve as dangerous precedents in the electoral practice of Moldova have been noted in the districts of Stefan Voda and Briceni. According to a communiqué by the Democratic Party (PD), the electoral posters with Vladimir Filat were destroyed on May 11 and 12. The Democratic Party says that the way in which the posters were wiped out suggests that it was a planned and well-coordinated act, organized in complicity with the ones that should thwart such attempts. The Democratic Party describes the repeated acts of destroying the electoral posters of the candidate Vladimir Filat as attempt to intimidate and an act that can compromise the holding of free and fair local elections in the Chisinau municipality. On the other hand, a communiqué issued by the electoral staff of the candidate fielded by the PCRM, Veaceslav Iordan, says that “some of the opponents competing for the post of mayor general of Chisinau have made interpellations against him and his team to different courts, the reasons being usually invented.” According to Iordan, the real reason for such acts is the fact that “his rivals lose the competition and hope that these interpellations will enhance their popularity and damage his authority.” The candidate of the Communists considers that in such a way the interpellation authors try to incite him to political discussions that have nothing in common with the problems and needs of the Chisinau residents.