OSCE/ODIHR starts monitoring Moldovan electoral race

The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Friday started to observe the race for the parliamentary elections of July 29. The announcement has been made by the head of the observers mission, Boris Frlec, at a news conference, Info-Prim Neo reports. He says the mission is one week late. “It's not only our fault. Some colleagues of ours needed visas to get here,” the official said. 13 international observers from 12 countries have come so far to Chisinau. Other long-term observes will be deployed in Moldovan localities till July 30. ODIHR asks the OSCE member countries to delegate other 200 observers to monitor the election day and the centralization of ballots. “Police officials assured us the visa issue was solved,” said Tatiana Bogussevich, an election advisor. “We'll see”, she said. Boris Frlec says he does not see it necessary to focus on the irregularities found in the April 5 vote. “We're here to observe, as objectively as possibly, the July 29 elections and we'll consider any notification from any contestant. We have not come to Moldova with ready-made opinion,” he specified. The mission will issue two preliminary reports, immediately after the vote, in which they will point out their observations during the race and on the election day, as a final report will be compiled 8 weeks later. The OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission and the OSCE mission to Moldova work on different mandates.