EU representatives urge Moldovan authorities to ensure democratic elections

The representatives of European Union member countries and of EU institutions residing in Chisinau call on the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to ensure that the forthcoming parliamentary elections are conducted in accordance with international standards for democratic elections, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a joint statement published Tuesday, November 25, ten diplomatic missions and two European institutions in Chisinau underline, in particular, “the importance of guaranteeing full respect for the principle of political pluralism including competition of parties and candidates and, ultimately, of ideas with the aim of protecting maximum voter choice”. “We note in this regard that a number of political parties have complained of difficulties encountered in complying with the new registration procedures introduced by the Law on Political Parties which was adopted in April this year. Delays in obtaining proper registration could jeopardise the chances of political parties or candidates of participating fully or at all in the upcoming elections. We therefore call upon the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova to ensure that the procedures for registration of parties and movements are applied in a timely, fair and transparent manner”, the joint statement reads. The signatories are also concerned by a mounting number of criminal investigations which have been recently initiated against opposition politicians. “While we appreciate the importance of the fight against crime and corruption, it is essential that the law enforcement agencies act, and are seen to act, in an impartial and transparent manner. This is particularly important in the context of an electoral campaign where the launch of criminal investigations risk undermining the ability of candidates to participate effectively in the electoral campaign”, it was said in the statement. At the same time, the EU representatives note the importance of guaranteeing access to the media for all parties participating in the elections and ensuring balanced coverage of the elections themselves. “In this regard we attach great importance to the editorial independence of the public broadcaster and to the pluralistic nature of the audio-visual environment of the electoral campaign. The issue of the renewal of broadcasting licences will also be of particular relevance here.” With regard to the amendments made to the Moldovan Election Code, the signatories call on the authorities to give due consideration to the recommendations made by OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission in 2005 and to the recent recommendation of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe as well as to the relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. “The EU is committed to further deepening the relationship. However, we call on the Moldovan leadership to ensure that further progress in bringing Moldova close to the EU will not be hindered by shortcomings in the democratic process. We therefore will continue to follow closely the progress of the electoral campaign and the conduct of the elections in the coming months”, the EU representatives pointed out. The statement is signed by the Embassy of Austria, the Embassy of Bulgaria, the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the Embassy of France, the Embassy of Hungary, the Embassy of Germany, the Embassy of Lithuania, the Embassy of Poland, the of Romania, the Embassy of the United Kingdom, the Delegation of the European Commission to the Republic of Moldova, and the Office of the European Union Special Representative.