PACE delegation scans Moldova's pre-election terrain, reveals unresolved problems

The members of a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), visiting Moldova one month before the day the Moldovans will elect the next parliament, remained satisfied with the 'considerable pluralism' in the political landscape of the country, but at the same time were disappointed by a series of unresolved problems, Info-Prim Neo reports. The revealed problems continue to subsist during this electoral campaign, despite the repeated recommendations formulated earlier by PACE and other bodies of the Council of Europe, the delegation said in a statement issued upon the completion of its fact-finding visit. In particular, the PACE delegation was informed of the following issues: use of administrative resources for the campaign, cases of pressure or intimidation, accuracy of voters' lists. At the same time, while welcoming the pluralism of opinions in the print media, the European officials were preoccupied by the problem of equal access of all political parties to the broadcast media, particularly those TV channels with nationwide coverage. The delegation considers that the parliamentary elections on 5 April will be a test of the maturity of democracy in Moldova, as its citizens will elect 101 members of the Parliament, which will then elect the new President of the country. In conclusion, the delegation called on the authorities of Moldova to eliminate the problems identified in electoral practice and to implement the recommendations formulated earlier by the Parliamentary Assembly. During its visit, which took place during March 5 and 6, the delegation met Marian Lupu, the Speaker of the Parliament, Vitalie Pirlog, the Justice Minister, the Chairman and members of the Central Election Commission (CEC), leaders of political parties participating in these elections, representatives of the mass media, civil society and the international community. The APCE will send another delegation, composed of 20 members, to observe the April 5 vote.