Wednesday’s parliamentary elections in Moldova met many international standards, but the process underscored the need for continued democratic reforms to restore public trust, the European Parliament delegation observing the elections said today.
Wednesday’s parliamentary elections in Moldova met many international standards, but the process underscored the need for continued democratic reforms to restore public trust, the European Parliament delegation observing the elections said today. Members stress that the campaign was negatively affected by subtle intimidation and media bias.
“I would like to congratulate the people of Moldova for their numerous participation in the parliamentary elections which took place yesterday” European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek declared today. “Many of the international standards and requirements have been met. That is a positive sign, however it reiterates the need to continue the democratic process which is still far from complete and in particular to restore trust between the major political forces” he said.
The head of the EP delegation following the election process, Marian-Jean Marinescu (EPP, RO), said that “observers have informed us that technically speaking, we can witness some improvement, but the campaign environment, compared to April, has worsened. This is most regrettable. There remains a number of issues of concern”.
“Most of the TV channels failed to provide impartial and balanced coverage”
According to the delegation, “The problem of the voter list that we saw in April still stands as a crucial issue. It is unfortunate that the establishment of the centralised electronic voter register, as outlined by the Moldovan Parliament in 2008, has been delayed, as this would have greatly facilitated voter lists compilation and improved their quality”.
“We welcome the fact that televised debates between representatives of all political parties were possible during the electoral campaign. But, we have to say that most of the TV channels, and especially the public one failed to provide impartial and balanced coverage”.
“In my perception, the crucial question we have to address is not technical but political” said the head of delegation. “Without a structural democratic change, Moldova will not be able to meet its challenges. The way forward is not less but more democracy. On this road the EU will be on the side of Moldova”.