European Action urges democratic parties to reinforce presence in Gagauzia

The European Action Movement (Actiunea Europeana) calls on political parties sharing democratic and pro-European views to establish and consolidate viable structures in Gagauzia, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The Gagauz autonomy has been left at the mercy of pro-Russian parties and certain clans, which fielded unaffiliated candidates for the seats in the People’s Assembly (autonomy’s legislature)”, EAM vice president Ion Neagu told a news conference on Wednesday, March 19. “Therefore, there is the risk that people of doubtful repute will prevail in the People’s Assembly”, added Neagu. EAM regrets the fact that very few political parties registered in Moldova participated in the Gagauz polls. At the same time, EAM stressed the need for the region’s democratization, for amending the electoral legislation of the autonomy and harmonizing it with the Constitution and the Election Code of Moldova. The civil society and the media must pay more attention to the problems in this region, said Ion Neagu. The leadership of the Movement expressed satisfaction with the results of the EAM candidates in the Gagauz elections. Neagu remarked that for EAM, a relatively young party on the Moldovan political landscape and less known in the autonomy, the participation by itself was what counted the most in these elections. The Movement fielded 5 candidates, who polled from 2 to 5 percent of votes in Gagauzia’s constituencies. One of the candidates was forced to withdraw from the race after being threatened he would lose his job, claimed Neagu. The Movement finds that the elections have been tainted by serious violations, notably on the election day. The most frequent irregularities were transporting groups of voters to polling places and allowing more than one person at a time in the voting booth. Attending the conference, EAM president Anatol Petrencu complained about persecutions perpetrated by the law enforcers against the EAM members. After picketing the Presidential Office on February 13, three top members of the party have been brought legal proceedings against, on reasons that they ignored the instructions of the police and staged the rally within a fifty-meter range from the presidential building. Anatol Petrencu claims in turn that according to Chisinau’s topographic map the distance between the steps in front of the Parliament building, where the protest was held, and the Presidential Office is more than 60 meters. On February 29, the Buiucani District Court ended the proceedings. Later, the Buiucani Prosecutor’s Office submitted a revision request. EAM is incensed at the prosecutors’ attempts to trump up charges and condemns the authorities’ persecutions against the opposition parties.