The National Liberal Party (PNL) of Romania, by an emergency resolution proposed at the EPP Congress in Helsinki, requests the Moldovan authorities to guarantee political pluralism, to stop the harassment and intimidation of the opposition and to stop the political persecution and dismissal of members and activists of the opposition all over the country. The party expresses its profound concern about the growing concentration of the political and economic power in the hands of a narrow group of persons and decline of the fundamental democratic standards in Moldova, IPN reports.
“We call on the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to guarantee the fundamental principles of representative democracy and make sure that the will expressed by the voters in the municipal elections of Chisinau in 2018, which were recognized by national and international observers, is fully respected; to ensure the principle of independence of the judiciary and to renounce the antidemocratic practices of politicizing the judicial system and of using this for political purpose,” reads the resolution.
The Moldovan authorities are also requested to take into account the recommendations concerning the electoral reform formulated by the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission, to guarantee the integrity of the electoral process by refraining from using administrative resources and illegally using the state institutions against political opponents before, after and during the election campaign.
Among other requests are to ensure the right to free and fair elections by guaranteeing the right of the Moldovans from the diaspora to freely take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections, to guarantee the right to freedom of expression and the freedom of the media, to stop discriminating against independent journalists by banning participation in events of a major public interest and to stop the antidemocratic practice of criminalizing journalistic activity as a means of political revenge.
The 25th EEP Congress is held in Helsinki on November 7-8, 2018. This is to elect the candidate for the presidency of the European Commission after the elections of next May.
