Gagauz parliament to have heterogeneous structure, Chisinau experts

Gagauzia’s People’s Assembly will be rather fragmented. This is the conclusion of the executive director of the ADEPT Association for Participative Democracy, Igor Botan, Info-Prim Neo reports. The analyst said on Monday, March 17, at a news conference, that many negotiations would be necessary to set up a majority within the local parliament in the future. According to the results of the 16 March poll, 22 independent candidates, eight Communists (PCRM), by two candidates from the Democratic Party and the Ravnopravie Movement, and by one candidate from the Democratic-Agrarian Party and the Socialist Party will compete in the runoff. Igor Botan says the things remain rather uncertain. Out of those 12 independents, elected in the first round, three actually are Communists. Thus, the Communists Bloc has already six seats in the legislature. Four independents already elected are supported by the Yedinnaya Gagauzia Movement. The Democratic Party has two seats, and “Ravnopravie” -- one. According to the expert, PCRM has significantly improved its position in the Gagauz autonomous unit. He says 18.8% of voters gave their ballot to the PCRM in the Sunday poll, which is one fourth of votes. The Gagauz elections unfolded in conformity with the law. This is the conclusion of the second monitoring report of the League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADOM.) However, according to the LADOM president, Paul Strutzescu, a series of breaches in the voting have been recorded. Still, the most serious issue remains to be the lack of transparency in financing the competitors. LADOM has also noticed “a local political entity favoring the registration of independent competitors.” As a result a genuine electoral campaign was not felt per se. LADOM mentioned a case when, right on the elections day, a local official unjustly interfered with the voting process. The list of violations also contains cases of unequal conditions for all competitors, as well as the inadequate training of electoral functionaries. LADOM has developed a set of recommendations likely to avoid the breaches recorded during the elections in Gagauzia. In their opinion, using administrative resources and levers by certain competitors due to the positions they hold should be banned. It is necessary to insure the indiscriminate treatment of competitors and to create equal conditions for them all. The LADOM representatives accentuate on informing the public opinion objectively and fully by the mass-media. They also recommend posting the lists with the contestants at least 10 days before the poll.