Maidan

KYIV, Ukraine, March 7, 2005.

The Maidan International Election Observation Group (the Maidan Group) believes that some aspects of the recent parliamentary election in the Republic of Moldova were free and democratic, but violations were reported in several parts of the country.

The Maidan International Election Observation Group consisted of representatives from Ukraine’s independent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the press, as well as political experts. Although the Maidan Group did encounter some difficulties accessing polling stations in Chisinau, it was generally assisted by the government, Moldova’s NGOs, and representatives of election candidates throughout the country.

The team observed the elections in the central and southern areas of the country including the Gagauz Autonomous District. The Maidan Group did not witness any intimidation or coercion of voters or observers. However, representatives of Moldova’s NGOs and intergovernmental organisations did have problems accessing polling stations.

Electoral flaws observed by the Maidan Group included:
- a lack of information for voters about election candidates' programs and views throughout the entire election campaign;
- unclear procedures for marking voter's passports with stamps which led to varying applications of the law at different polling stations;
- variations in the application of legal procedures for counting ballots at different polling stations, which opened up the possibility of election fraud;
- no enforcement of the confidentiality of the votes of convicts and those detained by police;
- attempts by election committee members to restrain the movements of domestic and international observers; and

- the presence of campaign posters on Election Day at several locations, particularly those of the Democratic Moldova Alliance, the Party of Communists of Moldova, and the Patria-Rodina Party.

The Maidan Group is particularly concerned about significant deviation of the official outcome of the election from the data provided by an independent exit poll conducted by a consortium of Moldova’s NGOs. The exit poll showed a difference of 4 percent more of the total votes cast for the Popular Christian Democratic Party and the difference of 4 percent less of the total vote cast for the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, as compared to the preliminary results declared by the Central Election Commission.

The Maidan Group is also concerned about the fact that the elections were completely sabotaged by the separatist government of the Moldovan Transnistrian Republic in the east of the country. Therefore, voters living in the Moldovan Transnistrian Republic are denied representation in the national parliament.

“In general, we see opportunities for improving the democratic procedures here,” says Andriy Savchaenko, a Ukrainian volunteer observer. “The difference between the exit poll result and the official data indicates significant problems in conducting the elections.”

“While Ukrainian voters experienced a flood of fraud and abuse of power from the side of the government during the first two rounds of the recent presidential election in Ukraine, Moldova’s elections have been conducted in a more transparent way. However, possible election fraud last Sunday presents a significant challenge,” Andy Ignatov, the Maidan Group's coordinator, says.

“As Moldova moves closer to [joining] the European Union, more serious attention should be paid to strictly following all democratic election procedures.”

For more information, please visit us at http://eng.maidanua.org/ or email us at forum@maidanua.org.

Contact for Grassroots Info Center Maidan: Mr. Stefan Seitz (English, Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, Polish)
Tel +380 (050) 352 5815; + 1 (202) 292 4815
Email: seitz@maidanua.org

Mr. Myhaylo Svystovych (Ukrainian and Russian languages only) Tel +380 (50) 310-4698 Email: svystovych@maidanua.org # # #