Voters to benefit from free legal assistance in electoral disputes

The voters in Moldova could use several hotlines to receive legal assistance and information during the pre-electoral period and on the election day. The Free Legal Assistance in Electoral Disputes Project was launched on Thursday by the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption (CAPC) with the support of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections – Coalition 2009 and the Representative Office of Eurasia Foundation in Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. The hotline 080055000 is designed for fixed-line phone calls, while 022 238431 and 022 238384 – both for fixed-line and mobile phone calls, including from abroad. “Six jurists will provide legal assistance to all the interested persons and to nonpartisan groups. The hotlines will work before the elections and on the election day from 9.00 to 21.00 every day, without break, Saturday and Sunday inclusive,” said Sorin Mereacre, director of the Representative Office of Eurasia Foundation in Moldova. The project is designed to facilitate access to justice for the people whose right to vote or access to information will be limited during the pre-electoral period and on the election day. “The project will help identify possible violations of the law, especially of the Electoral Code, and report them to monitors, the electoral bodies or other relevant institutions. It will contribute to the remedying of conflict situations that can appear during the electoral campaign and on the election day,” said the CAPC director Galina Bostan. Posters with the free phone numbers will be placed at every polling place in the country and on streets. The Free Legal Assistance in Electoral Disputes Project will be implemented at a cost of US$22,000. It is financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the United States Agency for International Development.