Free and fair elections do not mean only ensured voting procedure, but a set of related rights. Info-Prim Neo interview with Nicolae Panfil, secretary of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections - Coalition 2009

[- In its final report, Coalition 2009 says that the April 5 parliamentary elections in Moldova were not fair and, given the situation of the voters in Transnistria, were not fully free. Why is the position of the over 70 NGOs that form part of Coalition 2009 so different from that of the international observers, who said the elections in Moldova were free and fair?] - Coalition 2009 considers that free and fair elections do not mean only ensured voting procedure, but also a set of related rights, including the freedom of assembly, the freedom of expression, non-discrimination, the freedom of association, the right to choose and be chosen, equal chances for all the election runners which, together, ensure free and fair elections. Coalition 2009 started to monitor the pre-electoral period in October 2008. The regular reports that we presented then pointed to negative trends such as the violation of the people’s political rights (the right to free expression, the right to assembly, the freedom of association), attempts to unbalance the media environment in the country and to undermine the autonomy and local democracy, unfair conditions for the potential election contenders. As the election campaign was drawing closer, these trends became more prominent owing to the larger number of cases of violation of the fundamental human rights, massive use of administrative resources for electoral purposes, intimidation and abusive influence on the voters, pressure on the civil society, irregularities in the electoral rolls, intimidation of independent observers of Coalition 2009. During the election campaign, the reports on the independent monitoring of the mass media showed that the public stations with national coverage - Moldova 1 and Radio Moldova - favored openly the ruling party, depriving thus the people of the right to have free access to pluralistic and correct information. Given the mentioned findings and the multiple violations of the electoral legislation identified on the election day and the non-guaranteeing of the right to vote of the Transnistrian residents, Coalition 2009 described the 2009 legislative elections as unfair and only partly free. This position is based on the international standards and Moldova’s electoral legislation. Coalition 2009 monitored the electoral process nationwide, being politically unbiased and constantly informing the population and international community, including the electoral bodies, political parties and international election monitoring organizations, about the discovered irregularities. [- Coalition 2009 verified the electoral registers at 10 polling places in the municipality of Chisinau selected at random and found multiple irregularities. It also ascertained that the votes in 208 polling stations, which is 10.5% of the polling places, were counted incorrectly. Could such violations of the electoral legislation lead to the invalidation of elections?] - In its findings, Coalition 2009 pronounced on these irregularities, stressing that they question the correctness of the April 5 elections. The existence of such irregularities requires a thorough analysis of all the reports prepared by the electoral officials and of the electoral rolls, by proving transparency and full access to electoral information for all those interested. The elections could be validated only after such an investigation. [- How do you assess the situation in Moldova in the post-electoral period and what is the solution to the political crisis in your opinion? What would be the effect of possible early elections?] - The post-electoral period is marked by serious violations of the human rights and fundamental freedoms, including of the rights not to be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, the freedom of expression, the freedom of assembly. The solution to the political crisis resides in the unconditional and strict observance of the constitutional norms and international agreements signed by Moldova. This implies an independent investigation of all the cases of violation of human rights and holding accountable of the persons to blame. Regretfully, by its acts, the present government has worsened the social and political situation in the country, splitting the society up. Regardless of the political developments in the country, Coalition 2009 considers that an electoral process is fair when the human rights are observed and the public TV channel provides objective information about the electoral process, the electoral rolls are made correctly, the personal security, the freedom of expression, the freedom of assembly are guaranteed, the voters in the Transnistrian region are provided with positive and non-discriminatory conditions, and the elections are administered effectively. Only in such conditions, the people will trust the phrase “the will of the people is the basis of the power in the state” written in the Constitution. [- Coalition 2009 was accused of organizing the April 7 protest. During the election campaign, members of the Coalition were accused of being politically biased, while after elections were subjected to simultaneous fiscal inspections. Why do you think the authorities have such an attitude towards a union that has over 70 NGO members?] - Even in 2005, the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections asserted itself as an independent force that monitors the elections at the national level. It repeatedly drew the authorities’ attention to the violations of the electoral legislation and irregularities during elections, making important recommendations for improving the electoral process. Apparently, the civic activism and the objective position of Coalition 2009, together with the multitude of irregularities identified and made known, do not suit the present government.