Moldovans abroad deprived of right to vote: PLDM

The elections are set for a working day. Under these circumstances, few Moldovan citizens working abroad will be able to go long distances to cast ballots, PLDM leader Vlad Filat told a news conference on June 16, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Liberal Democratic Party assesses setting the elections date on July 29, Wednesday, and the modifications to the Election Code as advantaging the ruling party and disadvantaging the rest of the citizens, including those 16,800 Moldovans having voted at consulates and embassies abroad. The party's first deputy president Alexandru Tanase underlines that the PLDM proposed real solutions to modify the Election Code, but they were ignored by the Communist majority. “The Communists modify the Code on the eve of each run-up to advantage the PCRM,” Tanase has said. The PLDM states that “decreasing the turnout quota to 1/3 and the electoral threshold to 5% was meant to stimulate a low turnout and to ease the accession of possible satellites of the PCRM to the parliament.” The Liberal-Democrats say they plead for “free and fair elections, the only solution to bring calmness to the country, to consolidate society and to offer legitimacy to a democratic government.” Vlad Filat calls on the civil society and international bodies to effectively and fully observe the elections.