Government continues to use administrative resources to intimidate other candidates – civil society report

Authorities continue to use administrative resources to intimidate the electoral competitors. Several opposition parties complained about serious violations, shows the second monitoring report of the League for the Protection of Human Rights in Moldova (LADOM), part of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Election. The report was made public on Monday, May 21, at a press conference. According to the LADOM Chairman Paul Strutzescu, the monitoring period May 9 - 20 was characterised by a series of actions which served for the temporarily dismissed local and central authorities as a pretext to promote their political image. In Floresti raion, the candidate on behalf of the Party of Communists offered gifts to the WWII veterans on the occasion of the Victory Day, specifying that the gifts are offered by the authorities. Similar cases were registered in Ocnita, Cimislia and in Larga commune, Briceni raion. Also, LADOM is concerned about the rising number of cases of direct intimidation of electoral candidates in the eastern raions of the country, especially the arrest of the Mayor of Carjova and a raion councillor in Dubasari raion. The monitoring group says that although the Central Election Commission issued several decisions which could straighten the election campaign out, the regulatory authority is reserved, sometimes unjustifiably. “CEC does not have the necessary levers to penalise the candidates who violate the electoral legislation”, Paul Strutzescu mentioned. The next monitoring report will be made public on May 31.