“I was told to go away!” Tudor Pantiru warned by Moldovan police

Tudor Pantiru, candidate for a seat in the Romanian Parliament who is to be elected by the Romanian citizens in Moldova, on November 27 criticized the police and the security and information service of Moldova for hindering him from properly carrying out his election campaign. After the police detained three members of his electoral staff on November 26, Tudor Pantaru told a news conference held at Info-Prim Neo that a police officer told one of the volunteers to warn him to go away. “They told him to warn me that I should go to Kosovo, where I am international judge, as it would be better for me,” the candidate on behalf of the Social Democratic Party of Romania said. Pantaru said that they expect different hindrances on the part of the authorities on the election day, aimed at limiting the eligible voters’ access to the polling places. Tudor Pantaru is also dissatisfied that no TV channel accepted to broadcast his electoral spots. In Moldova, the candidate is supported by the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM). He came to the conference accompanied by jurists Alexandru Tansase and Vitalie Nagacevschi, who are both PLDM members. According to Vitalie Nagacesvschi, “the election campaign was marked by clear illegalities that would b also committed in the campaign that will take place before the legislative elections in Moldova. “What happened on November 26 (the arrest of the staff members e.n.) is a violation of the right to elect guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights,” the jurist said. Nagacevschi considers that the hindering of a candidate from carrying out election campaign is also a violation of the voter’s right to make a conscious choice.” Vitalie Nagacevschi warned the Government of Moldova about a possible legal action to claim damages in connection with the evidently illegal acts committed by the police. The jurist is famous in Moldova for the legal cases against the Government won at the European Court of Human Rights. “The atmosphere around the election campaign perfectly matches the position of the EU ambassadors, who said the political climate in Moldova is becoming visibly worse,” Tudor Pantiru said, referring to the recent joint statement issued by the EU diplomats working in Chisinau, in which they express their concern about a number of democratic involutions in Moldova. “Despite numerous obstacles and the hostile attitude of the authorities, I am optimistic that these first legislative elections for the Romanian Parliament will end successfully and I am confident that I managed to convince the electorate to vote for me,” Tudor Pantiru said.