INTERIM REPORT

16 May – 24 August 2012

28 august 2012

        I.            SHORT SUMMARY

·         Central Election Commission (CEC) of Gagauzia was formed and the date of elections to the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia (PAG) was announced in violation of the time frame set by the electoral legislation of Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia – (Gagauz Yeri) (hereafter ATU Gagauzia), which provoked a brief political crisis in the Autonomy.

·         PAG elections are held to elect 35 members of the representative and legislative body of ATU Gagauzia. The elections will be conducted under a majoritarian system in 35 single-mandate electoral districts.

·         Despite the recommendations of the civil society to refine the election legislation of ATU Gagauzia, the upcoming PAG elections will be held under the local law of ATU Gagauzia “On the elections to PAG” no. 25 of 15 January 1998, most recently amended on 11 December 2007.

·         PAG elections are held under the conditions of insufficient funds available in the ATU Gagauzia budget for organization of the upcoming elections, which might affect the quality of the electoral process. Limited budget does not allow the CEC of Gagauzia to fulfil its full range of functions according to the legislation in force.

·         PAG elections will be administered by a three-tiered election administration, including the CEC of Gagauzia, 35 District Election Councils (DECs) and 62 Precinct Election Bureaus (PEBs). In some of the districts the functions of DECs and PEBs will be combined.

·         Voter lists are drawn up by the local public authorities and PEBs. Lack of a single authority responsible for the compilation of voter lists creates the conditions for possible manipulation / fraud involving voter lists.

·         At the end of the candidate registration period, CEC of Gagauzia registered 165 candidates, 81 of them independent and 84 representing political parties. There were no serious problems detected during candidate registration.

·         Electoral campaign had a slow start, related to the holiday season which coincided with the electoral campaign for 2012 PAG elections.

·         Out of 165 candidates registered for participation in the upcoming PAG elections, only 40 regularly submit financial reports to the appropriate electoral authorities.

·         During the electoral period covered by the present report, Gagauz media has partially fulfilled the requirements of the Regulation on the Media Coverage of the Election Campaign for Elections to the People’s Assembly (Halk Toplusu) of ATU Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) of 9 September 2012, legislation of the Republic of Moldova and deontological norms for journalists.

·         35 out of 165 candidates registered by the CEC of Gagauzia for participation in 2012 PAG elections are women.

      II.            INTRODUCTION

Piligrim-Demo is monitoring the elections to PAG of 9 September 2012. Observation is performed in the framework of the project “Improving the election process through observation and evaluation”, implemented with the financial support of US Embassy in Chisinau.

PAG election observation is taking place since the moment CEC of Gagauzia was formed, and until the voting results are validated by the Comrat Court of Appeal (CCA). The team of experts will assess the compliance of elections with legislation in force of ATU Gagauzia and the Republic of Moldova, as well as international standards for free and fair elections. Observation will also include the analysis of electoral legislation and its practical application at the upcoming elections, tracking campaign events, activity of electoral bodies, election coverage in the media, and electoral dispute resolution.

Within the framework of the project, experts are holding meetings with relevant authorities, candidates, political parties, the courts, representatives of the civil society and the media.

Election day observation will be undertaken by 4 mobile teams of short-term observers (2 observers per team), who will be deployed throughout the region to observe the opening of polling stations, voting process, closing of the polls, vote counting and tabulation of results.

Observation results and assessment of the electoral process will be reflected in an interim (current) and final reports. The results of voting process observation will be presented in separate reports for the first and, if necessary, second round of the elections.

A regional conference will be organized to conclude the project, present the final report and recommendations made by the project experts on the basis of 2012 PAG elections monitoring and assessment.

For further information, please contact project coordinator Mihail Sirkeli via e-mail mihail.sirkeli@piligrim-demo.org.md or phone 0684 71711. www.piligrim-demo.org.md.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND POLITICAL SITUATION

9 September 2012 PAG elections are the fifth PAG elections to be held since the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia no. 344 of 23.12.1994. Three political forces were represented in the 4^th PAG: Party of Communists of Moldova (PCRM), United Gagauzia (UG) and New Gagauzia (NG). UG and NG are regional social movements, not registered as political parties or socio-political organizations in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Moldova on Political Parties no. 294 of 21.12.2007. Nonetheless, EG and NG are actively involved in political life of the region, and their members take active part in elections on all levels, usually as independent candidates.

None of the political forces represented in the 4^th PAG had a simple majority, and the decisions were adopted by a coalition majority. Coalitions created in the previous PAG were known for volatility and varied case by case, while members of the PA migrated from one fraction to another. Exposure to political crises was one of the features of the outgoing PAG. Political crises repeatedly occurred during resolution of major issues. The longest and most acute crisis was related to the election of the PAG President and lasted over three months, delaying the beginning of PAG activity. The last year of 4^th PAG activity was also marked by two brief crises. One was related to the lack of consensus on the 2012 budget of ATU Gagauzia, and led to a political standoff between PAG and the Executive Committee of Gagauzia (ECG). The latest crisis situation arose between PAG and ECG on the issue of forming the CEC of Gagauzia, which led to elections being held a month and a half outside of the time frame set by the electoral legislation of ATU Gagauzia.

Coming to power of the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) changed the political landscape in ATU Gagauzia, diluting the dominance of three main political powers in the region. Although AEI parties did not obtain important results in Gagauzia at the most recent local elections of 2011[1], their presence in the region is becoming more visible, as denoted by their more active participation in this year’s PAG elections[2].

    III.            FORMING THE CEC OF GAGAUZIA AND SETTING THE ELECTION DATE

Forming the CEC of Gagauzia

9 members of the CEC are approved by the PAG at least 65 days before the Election Day. PAG, ECG and the courts of Gagauzia each name 3 members to the commission[3]. The subject of validating the composition of CEC has been discussed at PAG sessions on 19 and 24 April 2012. At the 24 April session, PAG approved the personal composition of CEC consisting of 7 members, thus rejecting two candidates from the ECG list and one candidate from the CCA list[4]. ECG appealed the PAG Decision “On validating the personal composition of CEC of Gagauzia” to CCA, deeming it a violation of the principle of separation of powers, upon which the mechanism of forming the CEC of Gagauzia is based. The political crisis on the issue of forming the CEC of Gagauzia was resolved on 21 June 2012, when PAG issued a new decision on validating CEC membership, approving all candidates proposed by ECG and CCA (the same candidates who were nominated initially).

Setting the PAG Election Date

PAG elections are to be held no later than four months after the mandate of previous PAG expired[5]. The term of 4^th PAG began on 23 April 2008, when CCA validated the results of the second round of PAG elections held on 30 March 2008. Thus, the mandate of outgoing PAG expired on 23 April 2012, and the next elections were to be held before 23 July 2012. Considering that PAG elections are held under majoritarian system in 35 single-mandate districts, which might require a second round of elections to take place, both the first and, if necessary, second rounds of elections were to be held before 23 July 2012. For unclear reasons, PAG delayed setting the date of upcoming PAG elections until the last moment, and discussed it as late as 19 April 2012. PAG Decision of 19 April 2012 set the date of upcoming elections for 29 July 2012, which is outside of the term required under ATU Gagauzia election legislation. Due to the crisis on the issue of forming the CEC of Gagauzia, PAG Decision of 19 April 2012 could not be executed[6]. As the crisis was resolved and CEC formed, the new date was set for 9 September 2012.

   IV.            ELECTORAL SYSTEM

PAG elections are held to elect 35 members of the legislative and representative body of ATU Gagauzia for a four-year term. There should be no more than one PAG member for 5000 voters, but each locality should be represented by at least one PAG member.

The elections are held in two rounds under majoritarian system in 35 single-mandate districts. A candidate needs to receive over half the number of valid votes cast to be elected. If no candidate obtains a majority of valid votes in the first round, the second, run-off round is held two weeks after the first between two candidates who obtained the largest number of votes. The candidate who receives most votes in the second round is elected. For the elections to be valid, one third of voters registered in the electoral district must participate. There is no turnout requirement for the second round.

The principle of defining electoral districts for PAG elections does not guarantee equal and equitable representation ATU Gagauzia residents in the regional legislature. As the electoral system guarantees each locality at least one seat on PAG, it creates unequal conditions for residents of relatively larger localities (for ATU Gagauzia) as compared to the smaller ones. For example, Chirsova locality with over 6 thousand residents has one representative in PAG, same as Cotovsc village with fewer than 1 thousand residents.

     V.            LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, Law of the Republic of Moldova “On the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri)”, Legal Code of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri), Law of Gagauz ATU “On the elections to the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri)” constitute the legal framework regulating the organization and conduct of PAG elections. The legal framework is complemented by a number of additional laws[7], as well as the decisions and regulations of Gagauz CEC.

Since its adoption in 1998, the Law of Gagauz ATU on PAG Elections was most recently amended in 2007. Despite calls from the civil society and experts to enhance the electoral legislation of ATU Gagauzia and bring it in accordance with international standards, the necessary changes were not introduced.

The Law on PAG Elections contains multiple gaps and contradictions, while certain provisions are in contradiction with the Legal Code of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) and the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, infringing upon citizens' electoral rights. In particular, part 2 of Art. 46 of the Law on PAG Elections sets the residency requirement for electoral candidates, allowing only citizens eligible to vote who have resided in the district they represent for at least three years to run for election. The three-year residency requirement was not reflect in the Decision of Gagauz CEC no.9/2 of 11 July 2011 “On determining the residency requirement for PAG candidates”, according to which any citizen of the Republic of Moldova, eligible to vote and residing in the district represented at the time of elections, can run for election in that district. This decision of Gagauz CEC was appealed to the CCA by one of the electoral contestants, but the complaint was dismissed.

   VI.            FINANCING THE ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS

Costs associated with the organization and conduct of elections are borne by the regional budget of ATU Gagauzia. The amount of financial resources is determined by PAG within the limits provided by the Budget Law of Gagauz ATU for the election year. The CEC of Gagauzia presents the proposals to ECG, which upon review transmits them to PAG for approval. If the expenditures are not included in the budget for current year, their amount is determined by ATU on the proposal of Gagauz CEC[8].

Initially, 1.2 mln lei were set aside in the 2012 budget of Gagauz ATU for organization and conduct of 2012 PAG elections. This amount was subsequently reduced to 1.024 mln lei. It is to be noted that, in the absence of a permanent CEC in Gagauzia, the amount of funds needed for organization and conduct of elections is calculated and budgeted by ECG. CEC of Gagauzia, formed to organize and conduct the elections, after its legal constitution has approved the estimate of 1.66 mln lei, covering only the expenditures for the first round of elections, which exceeds the budgeted amount by 636 thousand lei. The amount necessary for the second round of elections will be estimated and approved by Gagauz CEC after the first round, when the number of electoral districts where the second round of elections needs to be held will be known. In the plenary session on 10 August 2012, PAG adopted a decision approving the estimate proposed by the CEC of Gagauzia and obliging ECG to allocate the amount necessary for the organization and conduct of the first round of elections, without introducing the appropriate changes in the 2012 Gagauz ATU budget. It is to be noted that PAG could not introduce changes into Gagauz ATU 2012 Budget Law, because since its mandate expired on 23 April 2012, 4^th PAG cannot adopt, modify or repeal local laws[9].

The lack of financial resources has been a problem not only for the current, but also for the previous PAG elections. As a rule, the amount budgeted for organizing and conducting the elections covers only the most basic expenditures: personnel costs, communication services, transportation expenses, services for printing of ballot papers and other electoral documents. Other important functions for which the CEC and other electoral bodies are responsible are not budgeted. In particular, the following important aspects of election administration remain unbudgeted: voter awareness and information, offering consultations to candidates and their representatives, ensuring the transparency of CEC activity, training DEC and PEB members, etc. Limited election financing does not allow for necessary technical equipment to be provided to electoral authorities, needed specialists to be attracted and a fully functioning administration to be formed. This limits the ability of electoral authorities to fulfil their basic functions under the Law on PAG elections, in particular: control the compliance with electoral legislation, react to complaints of election stakeholders, perform detailed checks of signature sheets, etc.

 VII.            ELECTION ADMINISTRATION

PAG elections are be administered by a three-tiered election administration, including the CEC of Gagauzia, 35 DECs and 62 PEBs. The CEC of Gagauzia consists of 9 members, is formed in accordance with the principle of representation of three branches of power, and includes three members each from the PAG, ECG and CCA. DECs are established on the proposal of local public authorities, or, if the proposals are not presented, at the initiative of the CEC of Gagauzia. PEBs are established by DECs on the proposal of local councils. If the proposals are not presented, PEB members are appointed at the initiative of Gagauz CEC.

Gagauz CEC holds regular meetings twice a week, as well as additional special meetings as needed. CEC meetings are open to the public and media. CEC decisions and other election-related documents are published on the Gagauz CEC website www.cec-gagauzia.ucoz.org.

DECs and PEBs were established within the deadline set by law. Composition of some electoral bodies has undergone changes, as some of the members refused to work in election administration, while others were revoked due to family ties with registered candidates. According to the CEC of Gagauzia, in order to reduce expenditure for election administration, 15 out of 35 DECs will also assume the functions of PEBs.

Until 29 August, the CEC of Gagauzia is planning to hold three seminars for DEC and PEB members in Comrat, Ceadir-Lunga and Vulcanesti.

Contrary to the Law of Gagauz ATU on the PAG Elections, the CEC of Gagauzia is a temporary body and is established only for the period when the elections are organized and conducted. In this time, the CEC of Gagauzia has to prepare and approve a number of documents regulating various aspects of elections. According to CEC members, due to limited availability of time, Gagauz CEC cannot cover all aspects or dedicate sufficient attention to each of them in its decisions. For this reason, the CEC has not approved an instruction for compiling signature sheets in support of independent candidates and methodology for verifying the signatures.

It is to be noted that the Regulation on the Coverage of the Election Campaign for Elections to the People’s Assembly (Halk Toplusu) of ATU Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) of 9 September 2012 was prepared by the Council of Europe experts on request of the Gagauz CEC.

VIII.            VOTER REGISTRATION

Voter lists are compiled by local public authorities and PEBs separately for each electoral precinct, and are then verified according to the place of residence of registered voters. Lack of a single authority responsible for the compilation of voter lists for the PAG elections is a cause for concern, because it creates the conditions for possible manipulation / fraud involving voter lists.

In accordance with Art. 44 of the Law on PAG Elections, Gagauz CEC approved a model that will be used by local public authorities to draw up voter lists for 2012 PAG elections. According to representatives of the Gagauz CEC, in compiling the lists, city councils will also rely on data from the state register of citizens provided by the CEC of Moldova.

Cooperation between the CEC of the Republic of Moldova and the CEC of Gagauzia on the issue of voter list compilation might lead to significant improvement in voter list quality and prevent potential fraud, as, in accordance with Art. 39 of the Election Code of the Republic of Moldova, by 1 March of every year the CEC of Moldova receives updated voter lists from all local authorities.

Another concern is the appeal of the Governor (Bashkan) of Gagauzia Mihail Formuzal, issued to the local public authorities during a meeting on 10 August 2012, to exclude citizens who have not resided on the territory of Gagauz ATU for a long time from the voter lists, in order to prevent artificial inflation of the number of voters on the lists. It is to be noted that a significant part of the population of ATU Gagauzia have been working abroad for an extended period of time, all the while maintaining localities in Gagauz ATU as their place of residence, as noted in their identity documents. Thus, these residents have retained the right to vote in PAG elections, and should be included in voter lists.

   IX.            CANDIDATE REGISTRATION

Candidates for PAG elections can be nominated by political parties / socio-political organizations and electoral blocks; citizens also have the right to run as independent candidates upon presentation of signature sheets in support of the candidates. An independent candidate running for PAG elections is required to present at least 300 signatures of voters from the electoral district for which he/she intends to run who support his/her candidacy. If the electoral district has fewer than 500 voters, the candidate has to present a sheet with signatures of at least half of the voters in the district.

Gagauz CEC registered electoral candidates throughout 9 July-9 August 2012. During this period, 165 candidates were registered, 81 of them independent and 84 representing political parties. PCRM has the largest number of candidates (26), followed by LDPM (22) and PSRM (12) [10].

Electoral contestants have not expressed concerns about the registration procedure. According to the Law of Gagauz ATU on the PAG Elections, electoral contestants can withdraw their candidacy 5 days before the Election Day at the latest.

Electoral contestants are included in the ballot in order of registration[11]. In spite of clear provisions to this end in the Law on PAG elections, the CEC of Gagauzia adopted a decision, according to which the order of candidates in the ballot will be determined by drawing lots after candidate registration is completed. CEC decision displeased a number of candidates, who appealed it to CCA, where the decision was abolished as illegal[12]. Gagauz CEC appealed the CCA ruling to the Supreme Court of the Republic in Moldova, and hearings on the matter are still ongoing.

     X.            ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Candidates mainly communicated with the voters through door-to-door campaigning. Closer to the end of the third week of August, more electoral advertising in the media and printed adverts started appearing. Electoral campaign has been sluggish, none of the candidates being particularly active. This can be explained as the campaign coincided with the holiday season.

Electoral platforms of most candidates focus on strengthening the status of Gagauz ATU, ending the confrontation between the legislative and executive authorities of the autonomy, as well as solving the problems of socially vulnerable segments of the population. Solutions for local problems of the communities for which the candidates are running occupy important, if not central, place in their electoral programs. Candidates’ platforms frequently include items related to the issues of improving and developing specific localities, which refer to the competence of mayors and local councils rather than PAG delegates. Electoral platforms pay little to no attention to issues related to the development of Gagauz language and culture.

Political competitors reported several isolated instances of intimidation and threats against them.

   XI.            CAMPAIGN FINANCING

The Law of Gagauz ATU on PAG Elections requires the candidates to open special bank accounts marked as “Electoral Fund”, which are used to accumulate personal funds and donations received from national companies and individuals. Gagauz CEC set the maximum amount of spending for the electoral campaign at 30 lei per voter in the district. The CEC has not set the amount of donations that can be transferred by individuals and companies to a candidate’s electoral fund.

Electoral contestants are required to declare in print the financial and material (non-monetary) donations received within a month from the beginning of campaign. Before using these financial and material resources, candidates have to declare them to the appropriate DEC, which keeps a log of financial resources used by the electoral competitors and offer this information to the public.

On 22 August 2012, Gagauz CEC adopted Decision no. 18/7 “On the compliance by the electoral contestants with the provisions of Art.43 of the local Law “On the Elections to the People’s Assembly (Halk Toplusu) of ATU Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri)”. In this decision, CEC expresses its concern with the fact that only 40 out of 165 registered candidates regularly submit financial reports. The same decision sets out the procedure and terms of financial report submission by electoral contestants, based on Art. 43 of the Gagauz ATU Law on PAG elections. 

 XII.            MEDIA

Reporting period: 31 July – 18 August 2012

In the reporting period, monitored media institutions only partially fulfilled the requirements of the Regulation on the Media Coverage of the Election Campaign for Elections to the People’s Assembly (Halk Toplusu) of ATU Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) of 9 September 2012, adopted by Decision no.8/4 of the Gagauz CEC, electoral legislation in force of the Republic of Moldova, and deontological norms for journalists. Publicly funded and private regional media provided constant coverage of CEC activity, informing the public, mainly via the news and interviews, about candidate registration procedure, creation of electoral districts, number and political affiliation of registered candidates, other events related to the electoral process.

However, not all journalistic materials directly or indirectly addressing the PAG elections were produced in accordance with the Regulation on the Media Coverage of the Election Campaign and its “2012 Elections” section. Monitored media published materials in violation of the principle of objective and unbiased election coverage, while some of the media reports noticeably took form of campaigning in favour of certain candidates or political groups. The media has not dedicated sufficient attention to electoral education and raising voter awareness in the region (role and competencies of the People’s Assembly, importance of voting, statistics of public spending on PAG activity, other materials that would prompt the citizens to participate in the elections and make a conscious choice were not presented).

Public TV channel broadcasted by the public company “Teleradio Gagauzia” had a relatively balanced editorial approach to its news programs, while most of the information on PAG elections was related to CEC activity and based on official sources or interviews with Mrs Svetlana Mironova, CEC Chairperson.

However, in the reporting period public TV broadcasted several news items that favoured certain candidates and political forces, engaging in disguised campaigning. For example, news program „Haberlar” on 6 august contained a news item about renovation of a school gym in Dezghinja locality. One of the interviewees was Member of the Parliament Piotr Vlah, representing Liberal-Democratic Party of Moldova (LDPM). The MP declares that “50 thousand lei were allocated for school gym renovation. If this is not sufficient, additional funds will be allocated.” As LDPM is a political party taking active part in PAG elections, this material favours LDPM, even though the report did not mention Piotr Vlah’s political affiliation. Sports section of the same news program contained a report on a football tournament organized in the memory of veterans. This material promoted the image of PAG Deputy Chair Demian Caraseni, who is registered as independent candidate in the 28^th electoral district (Congaz).

Programs of the “Facing the region” cycle, broadcasted in this period by the public TV channel, also had direct electoral connotation. For example, 11 August 2012 edition featured the Governor (Bashkan) of Gagauzia Mihail Formuzal. A large part of the discussion focused on the subject of elections, while at the end of the program, answering a question from Dezghinja locality on whether a candidate living in Chisinau for the past 10 years should be allowed to run for elections, the Governor stated: “It is difficult to day. But I know a candidate in Djoltai, Ms Natalia Soseva, who is in the village every day; people come to her and she helps everyone”. The moderator did not attempt to stop Mr.Formuzal from campaigning for Mrs Soseva, who is registered as an independent candidate in the 19^th electoral district (Djoltari). The program was re-aired on public television on 12 August 2012. 18 August 2012 edition of the same “Facing the region” cycle featured Mrs Irina Vlah, Member of the Parliament representing the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, who spoke about PCRM activity at the local level, especially in the context of upcoming elections. The whole program can be considered as promoting PCRM, a party with 26 candidates registered to run for People’s Assembly elections.

On 11 August 2012, public television aired the “Interview of the week” with Igor Dodon, president of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) which registered 12 candidates for the PAG elections. Answering the journalist’s question about how the candidates were selected, PSRM leader stated: “They are decent people who will not necessarily act on party orders, but serve the people”. The program served to promote PSRM candidates.

Regional public newspaper „Vesti Gagauzii” published CEC decisions regarding the organization of electoral process, including the lists of registered candidates and electoral precincts, etc. In the 17 August 2012 edition, „Vesti Gagauzii” (nr. 62-63/7934-7935, page 1, “Election financing problem resolved. Notes of the 50th PAG session”) republished a press release on the People’s Assembly session of 10 August 2012. It included information that presents certain members of the People’s Assembly who are running for re-election in a positive light, thus promoting them indirectly. PAG members in question are Grigore Morari (independent candidate, 4^th electoral district, Comrat), Ilia Ciolac (PCRM candidate, 26^th electoral district, Chirsova), Demian Caraseni (independent candidate, 28^th electoral district, Congaz), Nicolai Dragan (independent candidate, 30^th electoral district, Copceak).

News programs broadcasted in the reporting periods by the private TV channel Eni Ay TV (Comrat) have markedly favoured independent PAG candidate Alexandr Tarnavski, registered in the 3rd electoral district (Comrat). Mr Tarnavski is the deputy mayor of Comrat municipality, and Eni Ay TV broadcasted numerous news reports promoting this candidate, some of them being re-aired on the following day. For example, 31 July 2012 news program contained a 5-minute report on the meeting between Comrat City Council officials and representatives of a project supporting decentralization of local public authorities, financed by USAID. Deputy mayor A. Tarnavski, who has already been registered as a candidate for Public Assembly, makes a 45-second statement about work that will be undertaken to improve citizen’s welfare. Similar declarations were made in the report by the mayor of Comrat Nicolai Dudoglo, who conveys a message of gratitude and support to those who implement such projects.

In the Eni Ay TV report aired on 6 August 2012, covering Comrat Municipal Council meeting, deputy mayor Alexandr Tarnavski spoke for 36 seconds about city budget execution for 2012. The report was re-aired in news broadcasts on 7 and 8 August 2012.

Deputy Mayor Alexandr Tarnavski also appears in a report on the construction and reconstruction of playground in Comrat, broadcasted by Eni Ay TV on 8 August 2012 and re-aired on the followin day. In the report, Nicolai Dudoglo praises the construction works for a childrens’ playground on Fediko Str., mentioning that it is deputy mayor Alexandr Tarnavski’s project, and that all schools and kindergartends are to be equipped with sporting equipment. A.Tarnavski himselv states that locals appeald to the City Council for assistance, and now the playground has been built. The workers also mention that it’s good such works are taking place. Even while the report does not mention that deputy mayor is running for the People’s Assembly, the report favours this candidate directly.

A similar report was aired by Eni Ay TV on 9 August 2012. The 4-minute material tells about the construction of a fence at a Comrat kindergarten. City mayor Nicolai Dudoglo mentions that Alexandr Tarnavski is to credit for the construction, and deputy mayor speaks about the problems faced by the kindergartens and that, “in this rhythm, year after year, community problems will be resolved, using local public bud and sponsors’ assistance”. This report also promotes Alexandr Tarnavschi, even if it doesn’t mention he is running for the People’s Assembly.

Official website of the People’s Assembly of Gagauz ATU www.halktoplushu.com is used for electoral purposes by the current PAG leadership. For example, the site republished an interview with Mrs Anna Harlamenko, Chairperson of the People’s Assembly, by the “Argumenty i Fakty in Moldova” newspaper (15 August 2012). Answering the question about who, in her opinion, will be elected in the new composition of the regional legislature, A.Harlamenko stated: “Today, everyone is making forecasts. And everyone is predicting their own victory. However, I know for certain that the voters will entrust the majority of PAG mandates to representatives of the social movement “New Gagauzia”. This political formation has been leading the opinion polls for three years.  Nicolai Dudoglo has been long recognized as a popular leader. Gagauzia is small. We all know each other. The brightest candidates on the list are representing “New Gagauzia”. They are professionals. They know that all problems should be approached systemically and as a team. A key to solving the problems lies in the economic sphere, development of business and production models. Our candidates are capable of changing the life of Gagauzia.” [13]

XIII.            PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN

Participation of women in politics is virtually not addressed by the candidates for 2012 PAG elections. 28 women ran for the 2008 PAG elections, and 6 of them were elected to the 4^th PAG. Two women occupied leadership positions in the PAG Presidium as PAG Chairperson and Deputy Chair. 34 women are running for the upcoming PAG elections[14].

Women are well represented in 2012 PAG election administration bodies. 5 out of 9 members of Gagauz CEC are women, including the Chairperson, Deputy Chair and Secretary of the CEC. Women are also well represented in DECs and PEBs, which is a common practice related more to the specific tasks performed by members of electoral authorities than to promoting participation of women.