The public organization “Zarea” (“Dawn”) and the representatives of several ethnic communities and organizations in a press conference at IPN made an appeal to electors, calling on them to vote consciously on February 24. They said they support the Party of Socialists and called upon the people to think well before exercising their right to vote.
The organization’s chairman Mihail Ahremțev reminded that “Zarea” appeared when, following a challenge filed by the ruling parties, the law on the functioning of languages spoken on the territory of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (of 1989, which provided that Russian is used on the country’s territory as a language of communication between nations, e.n.), was declared outdated. And only the Party of Socialists responded to the calls to protect the languages spoken on Moldova’s territory.
Mihail Ahremțev noted that during ten years the government failed to develop a multiethnic state and promoted the interests of another state, the neighboring one, and of a minority ethnic group. He expressed his concern that if the same persons remain in Parliament, they will return to the previous proposals to allow only persons who speak the official, Romanian language, to hold public posts, but this is a violation of the rights of the speakers of other languages.
The baron of the Roma Artur Cerari said different ethnic communities cohabited for centuries on this land. “Vote so that your vote is not used to your detriment,” urged the baron, noting that everyone is obliged to keep the Republic of Moldova integral. “Long live, united and undivided Moldova!”. Artur Cerari stated that Moldova is an agrarian country and today the producers have real chances of selling their goods only on the Russian market as these do not meet the standards imposed by the EU.
Jurist Mihail Sidorov said the Constitution guarantees the right to elect and be elected and everyone on February 24 should vote and should do it freely. “It’s time to give a grade to the rulers,” stated Mihail Sidorov, calling on the functionaries involved in the electoral process, members of electoral offices of polling places, to obey the law and be objective.
Politologist Boris Shapovalov noted that February 24 is the day when everyone will make a choice. He will support the Party of Socialists whose program is close to his beliefs. He feels discriminated in the Republic of Moldova at present as he was banned from specifying the father name in his identification papers, which is typical of the Slavic culture. The argument that there is no place for the father name is not plausible as this is not invoked in the case of the ‘lent tendencies’ to give double names to children. The government should consist of persons who do not divide the people according to ethnic criteria and the spoken language.
Gaik Vartanean, the representative of the Armenian community who runs for MP on behalf of the Party of Socialists, said the government’s attitude to them is important for the ethnic minorities. The PSRM respects people’s rights, the rights of minority ethnic groups and pleads for good relations at national and foreign levels, both with the East and the West.
