Elections in Gagauzia were fair and Moldova must build on this example for future elections – foreign diplomats

The foreign diplomatic missions accredited to Chisinau consider that the December 2006 Bashkan elections resulted in a change of leadership in the region. Changing of government through free and fair elections is a genuine feature of a functioning democracy and the diplomatic missions commend the incumbent authorities for respecting the will of the voters expressed in the first and second rounds of elections. In foreign diplomats’ judgment, these elections represented an improvement over previous elections in the region and prove that strong regional autonomy can exist within a democratic, sovereign, and territorially whole Republic of Moldova. They urge the Moldovan authorities to build on this example for future elections. These claims are part of a joint statement on the second round of Bashkan elections in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, signed by the representations accredited to Chisinau, and quoted by Info-Prim Neo. The Heads of Mission signatories to this statement commend the Gagauz electoral authorities for good and professional administration of the second round of elections for Gagauz Bashkan (Governor) on 17 December 2006. According to the cited sources, the second round of elections was held in a calm and orderly manner and was largely consistent with international standards for democratic elections. The diplomats find that a number of shortcomings cited during the first round by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), the OSCE Mission to Moldova, as well as local and international observers, such as unequal campaign conditions, inappropriate use of administrative resources and preferential access to the media, were not present during the second round. At the same time, the signatories to the document warn that although procedures on Election day also improved, there is still a number shortcomings which need to be addressed in future elections. These included, among others, the improper verification of identification documents and inaccuracies in establishing the number of voters who participated. “As a general matter, we urge the Gagauz Peoples’ Assembly, in anticipation of future elections, to tackle the inconsistencies, ambiguities and contradictory provisions in Gagauz election legislation”, shows he joint statement signed by the Embassies of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Romania, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the USA, the European Commission’s Delegation to Moldova, Special Representative of Secretary General of the Council of Europe and OSCE Mission to Moldova.