Elections

Denouement: normality vs. boycott and revenge
Igor Botan, 3 December 2009

The denouement will take place on December 7. The political race between power and opposition will turn into normality, shall the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) unlock the election of chief of state. Otherwise, the revenging confrontation will follow the boycott

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Neither like Deng Xiaoping, nor like Charles de Gaulle – the battle goes on!
Igor Botan, 9 November 2009

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) has held a mad campaign in the last two weeks to persuade supporters that there is no other way but to lock up the election of chief of state and provoke early parliamentary elections. The campaign culminated with the PCRM-held protest meeting against governing of the Alliance for European Integration (AIE)

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On the eve of early elections BPO suggests that…
Igor Botan, 20 July 2009

According to the Barometer of Public Opinion (BPO) poll commissioned by the Institute of Public Policy (IPP) before the early parliamentary elections, the state of things is worse in Moldova than before. As much as 67.4 percent of respondents fear that the Republic of Moldova is moving in a wrong direction and only 19.6 percent believe that the things go well

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Patriotic exhibitionism and Romanian danger
Igor Botan, 17 July 2009

During the early parliamentary elections main political parties clarify in fact which of them loves the Motherland the most. The ruling Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) claims that only leaders and members of this party love the Motherland. PCRM has launched its campaign slogan – Let’s defend our Motherland!

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Presumption of guiltiness
Igor Botan, 30 June 2009

Incumbent President Vladimir Voronin dissolved the Parliament on June 15, 2009, decreeing early parliamentary elections for the 29th of July. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) led by Vladimir Voronin has publicly promised to hold an aggressive and bitter campaign against the opposition at the early elections

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Presidential elections 2009
Igor Botan, May 19, 2009

The ordinary presidential elections set for May 20, 2009 are a very serious test for Moldovan society. In fact, under the law concerning the procedure of election of Moldovan president, the elections should take place before the expiry date of the chief of state’s mandate, April 7, 2009

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Post-modernist revolution
Igor Botan, April 30, 2009

The April 7 revolt followed the April 5, 2009 elections, at which the offer called stability tabled by the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) competed with the offer called change raised by the liberal parties

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Whom do I vote?
Igor Botan, 25 March 2009

Periodical Barometers of Public Opinion (BPO) commissioned by the Institute for Public Policy (IPP) provide the possibility to monitor trends of social-economic and political life. As a rule, BPO in "electoral years" is conducted about a month before elections. The 7th "pre-electoral" BPO conducted a month before the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections provides one of few opportunities to estimate the probability of achieving a "change" or maintaining "stability"

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Common lists of candidates
Igor Botan, 9 March 2009

Amendments operated to the Election Code last year have incensed controversies. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) and the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD), promoters of a higher electoral threshold up to 6 percent, besides prohibition of electoral blocs have motivated their option by necessity to avoid an excessive fragmentation of the future Parliament

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Vote of Moldovans living abroad
Igor Botan, 23 February 2009

Claims by some electoral contestants to ensure the electoral right of Moldovan nationals working abroad are absolutely legitimate. Even more, it is worth to mention that ensuring the electoral right of Moldovan gastarbeiters is more legitimate than that sanctioned by laws, by Constitution and electoral legislation

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Ballots of Moldovan citizens from Transnistrian region
Igor Botan, 14 February 2009

After the independence of the Republic of Moldova was declared, Moldovan authorities could not make conditions to organise elections in the eastern rayons from the left bank of the Dniester controlled by the separatist administration. The latter has constantly resisted, claiming that Transnistria would be an independent state

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Universal, equal, direct, secret and free suffrage, what for?
Igor Botan, 1 February 2009

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) hopes to win uncompromisingly the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections. More than half a dozen of opposition parties credited with chances to succeed the 6-percent electoral threshold or have a rating close to the threshold are dreaming the same

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Terms to schedule elections
Igor Botan, 31 July 2008

Reactions and rhetoric by leaders of political parties reveal that the 2009 parliamentary elections are being prepared. In this context, it is worth to know exact terms to hold elections. The things seem to be simple should parliamentary elections not be synchronised with presidential elections

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Democratic standards: before or after…
Igor Botan, 15 July 2008

The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Lluis Maria de Puig, has addressed members of the Moldovan Parliament confirming some facts that Moldovan authorities know very well from other pan-European institutions, E.U. and U.S. officials

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Elections in Gagauzia as prelude of parliamentary elections
Igor Botan, 31 May 2008

The intrigue of elections for the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia held in two rounds on March 16 and 30, 2008 consisted in updating the ratio of political forces from the region. The same political groups which joined the race for the ranking of Gagauz Governor (head of executive) in December 2006 committed themselves to contest the supremacy of the regional legislature

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Are regional parties really necessary?
Igor Botan, 6 March 2008

The March 16-scheduled elections for the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia (PAG) have revealed the problem of regional parties. This problem is pretty old, but the forthcoming elections for the People’s Assembly raised debates between local and international experts

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Communication from the Commission "A Strong European Neighbourhood Policy". Preliminary conclusions for Moldova
Sergiu Buscaneanu, 16 December 2007

The European Commission released on December 5, 2007 a new communication titled "A Strong European Neighbourhood Policy". The Moldovan mass media did not cover this document much

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New elections in Rezina
Igor Botan, 16 November 2007

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) won the new elections in the Rezina district council on November 11, 2007, garnering three mandates more than the opposition, though the opposition gained one mandate more than the ruling party at the June 3, 2007 ordinary elections

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What does sociological profile of new local power suggest? (Part II)
Igor Botan, 31 October 2007

Poor enough image of parties may be compensated by a pretty good image of local public administration bodies, of course if parties have an adequate representation in these bodies and if electors appreciate their activity

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What does sociological profile of new local power suggest? (Part I)
Igor Botan, 5 October 2007

Poor enough image of parties may be compensated by a pretty good image of local public administration bodies, of course if parties have an adequate representation in these bodies and if electors appreciate their activity

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Death of political partnership
Igor Botan, 31 July 2007

The opposition will be capable to stay consolidated further only under the threat that the PCRM may regain its rating and restart pressures and harassments under various forms

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Aggregated victory of dispersed opposition
Igor Botan, 14 June 2007

Estimating the potential of preparing for participation in the 2009 parliamentary elections was one of declared collateral goals of political parties launched at the June 3, 2007 local elections. The exercise was successful, with eventual alliances and mergers of parties being based on concrete data

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Voter turnout at June 3, 2007 elections
Igor Botan, 12 June 2007

The generalised results of the June 3, 2007 elections unveiled by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on June 6 have generally coincided with the results made public after the closing of polling stations by those who performed a parallel counting. However, there is a significant difference between the final results regarding the voter turnout released immediately after the closing of polling stations

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"Useful vote" for "least evil"?
Igor Botan, 11 May 2007

The June 3-scheduled general local elections have entered the third phase – the decisive one. Voters are due to choose the best offers and candidates in the third phase after approximately 1,000 constituencies have been created and electoral candidates have been registered

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Local elections 2007
Igor Botan, 6 April 2007

The June 3-scheduled general local elections will have an important role besides the proper role of electing mayors and local councillors. At least other five additional factors enhance the importance of the electoral race

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Elections in Gagauzia – a new beginning or deja vu?
Igor Botan, 30 December 2006

The Comrat-based Court of Appeal confirmed on December 22 the legality of the two rounds of elections held on December 3 and 17 and the election of the leader of the regional opposition, Mihail Formuzal, as governor of Gagauzia

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Elections in Gagauzia
Igor Botan, 30 November 2006

The electoral campaign for election of governor of the Gagauz autonomy has entered the last stage. On December 3, 2006, approximately 85,000 electors who reside the autonomy will cast their ballots for four candidates registered by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Gagauzia

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Improvement of electoral legislation
Cristian Untila, 1 March 2006

The European Union - Moldova Action Plan has recently turned one and the implementation of this very important document was summarised in Chisinau on this occasion

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Quo vadis?..
Igor Botan, 17 January 2006

Although the legislative elections in Transnistria took place more than one month ago, their eventual impact on the process of settlement of the separatist conflict remains unclear

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A branch of "orange evolution"?
Igor Botan, 21 December 2005

The political year 2005 was unquestionably a year of elections, both regarding number of elections and their impact on the social-political situation

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Electoral polygon
Igor Botan, 9 November 2005

New elections for vacant mayoral offices will take place in 13 localities of Moldova, including the Chisinau municipality, on November 27, 2005

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New municipal elections
Igor Botan, 26 September 2005

Albeit CEC resolution on setting the date of new elections follows precisely the law, still it gives the impression that it is not timely

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Factors that might influence elections' outcome
Igor Botan, 6 July 2005

There are several factors worth considering when estimating elections' outcome, namely: inert voter sympathies; "Gagauz syndrome"; "national consensus"; low voter turnout, which increase the ratio of the "low mobility voters"

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The eve of mayor elections
Igor Volnitchi, 30 June 2005

Currently the top question related to mayor elections is would they get the voter turnout required for validation. Under the law, elections are considered valid provided at least 1/3 of the total number of voters take part in elections

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Why were new elections necessary?
Igor Botan, 27 June 2005

The effects of postponement of Serafim Urechean's decision to resign from the Chisinau mayor office with one month and half after the March 6 parliamentary elections could be of a special importance

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Presidential elections
Igor Botan, 7 April 2005

If he honors his promises, then "constructive" opposition wins enabling it to grab Moldova Noastra's electorate (roughly estimated at 20%). Conversely, if Voronin doesn't honor his promises a part of "constructive" opposition would slip into a mere "collaborationist opposition", while the other would tacitly and humiliated join the "obstructionist" camp, with all the arising consequences…

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Chance of democratisation of the Republic of Moldova
Igor Botan, 23 March 2005

Existing situation offers an extraordinary chance both to the opposition and to the ruling party to avoid a deadlock that might have unfavourable consequences for Moldova. Even more, a solution could be found enabling the settlement of a string of strategic problems Moldova is facing by accepting the so-called "national consensus"

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Post-election reflections
Igor Botan, 14 March 2005

Reflections on parliamentary elections of March 6, 2005 - would they bring stability or lack thereof

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Final stage of the electoral campaign
Igor Botan, 17 February 2005

Overview of the final stage of electoral campaign

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The Visit of the Council of Europe Secretary General in the Republic of Moldova
19 January 2004

A few things have drawn the attention of observers: Terry Davis' statement that he came to Chisinau on the invitation of the leadership of the country and of the political parties; and the statement that parliamentary elections due to take place on the 6th of March this year are the first elections of this kind in 2005 in the area of the Council of Europe, and therefore it would be in the limelight of the European institutions

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A faulty start of the election campaign
Igor Botan, 18 January 2005

Interestingly enough, all the electoral campaigns for the parliamentary elections since the Republic of Moldova declared its independence were preceded by problems, including the setting of the date of elections

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Does the Year Bear Good Signs?
Igor Botan, 10 January 2005

On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2004, the Parliament adopted the decision No. 444-XV setting the day of parliamentary elections. Organizing elections on March 6 is in full accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the Republic of Moldova (RM), of the electoral code and of a series of decisions of the Constitutional Court regarding the expiration of the mandate of the parliament and organization of elections of the new parliament

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Barometer of Public Opinion: deja vu or ... change may be?
Viorel Cibotaru, 1 December 2004

Once the results were released on November 16, 2004 media and analysts alike turned their attention to the immediate impact of the results, leaving the analysis of tendencies and changes for later. Still, it is exactly those changes that are of great interest

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Concerns on the eve of elections
Igor Botan, 15 September 2004

With the launch of the fall political season analysts and media alike engaged in assessing preparations for parliamentary elections. According to their estimates, elections might be held late May or even June next year

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When would elections be held?
Igor Botan, 30 June 2004

Recently amendments to the Law on the Procedure of Electing the President of the Republic of Moldova were operated, under which "The Parliament of the same legislature gets to elect the President only once, except for cases of vacancy of the position"

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Mass-media in Moldova
Igor Botan, 16 June 2004

There is a clear distinction in the Republic of Moldova, at least in the legal framework, between public versus state-run media. Things are quite different in audio-visual and printed media

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Pre-election configuration
Igor Botan, 2 June 2004

The configuration of the main electoral contestants in the upcoming elections has become quite clear in May. The main parties represented in Parliament, namely Communist Party and Christian-Democratic People's Party already held plenary assembly (the former) and the congress (the second)

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Preparations for elections
Igor Botan, 25 February 2004

Albeit there is almost one year left until electoral campaign officially starts, parties are already warming up. So far, possible electoral alliances and relations between power and opposition have been topping the agenda of the would-be electoral contestants. Therefore, the legal framework, which would govern the electoral process, has been totally neglected

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Would CEC preserve its independence?
22 December 2003

On December 16 Central Electoral Commission's six year mandate expired. Although under Moldova law CEC members could hold two mandates at most, Moldovan authorities chose to replace its entire membership. This radical change does not run counter to the law, however it raises eyebrows

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Negative trend in the electoral process
25 August 2003

In mid-August the final report of the OSCE observation mission, Report on Local Elections in Moldova, was posted on the its official website. The report was accompanied by a note, entitled "Negative trend observed during Moldova's local elections must be reversed"

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Endless elections?
17 July 2003

More than one month has passed since the date of the general local elections, but it seems that they will never end. The runoff repeat voting for the election of mayors was held on 22 June and 6 July, but the wave of complaints against the results of the elections is growing further

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The Discontent of the Victorious
24 June 2003

More than two weeks have elapsed since the end of the local elections. However, it is still not possible to make a complex analysis of the results because the final, complete results have not been published yet

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Local elections - preliminary conclusions
28 May 2003

It appears that the current campaign for the general local elections of 25 May 2003 has differed dramatically from the previous seven electoral campaigns held in Moldova after its declaration of independence in 1991

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The electoral process in Moldova as viewed in the context of the local elections of 25 May 2003
23 May 2003

The first electoral reform in Moldova started in 1993 with the adoption of the Law on Parliamentary Elections. The essence of the reform was to change the majoritarian election system to a proportional one

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Electoral Statistics
12 May 2003

The electoral campaign for the election of local public administrations has stepped into its final stage. The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has published the data on the number of candidates put up by the electoral contestants, who will compete for mandates of mayors and councillors in local (village, town and municipality) and raion (district) councils

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The 2003 Electoral Campaign
April 25, 2003

There's one month left until the local elections of 25 May 2003. Practically, most of the practical work of preparation for the elections has already been done

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2003 local elections
March 31, 2003

On March 20 the Parliament set the date for general local elections, i.e. May 25. Under the election law, the "electoral period" commences immediately the election date is set

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Undermining the integrity of the electoral process
January 17, 2003

"Integrity of the electoral process" is the only criteria for assessing the way local elections are conducted. This principles requires observance of both ethic norms and provisions of the election law so as to allow citizens to freely express their will

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2003 electoral year
January 9, 2003

General local elections are due in 2003. The 4-year mandate of the local bodies expires on May 23 consequently elections are to be held in May. It would be very interesting to examine the relationships between the ruling party and opposition in this context

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Bashkan elections in Gagauz Yeri
October 2, 2002

Bashkan elections are scheduled in Gagauz-Yeri for October 6. The electoral campaign is characterized by mutual suspicions of falsification

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Getting ready for May 2003 local elections
June 14, 2002

A whole set of events this month point to the fact that the major political parties of country are getting ready for local elections due in May 2003. Rather, they resumed pre-electoral activities, interrupted by the ruling of the Constitutional Court outlawing early local elections set for April 7, 2002

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Early general local elections were declared unconstitutional
February 20, 2002

During its February 19 session the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova ruled that Parliament decision on conducting early general local elections on April 7 is unconstitutional. The Court justified its ruling by the fact that by holding general local elections Article 109 of the Constitution on the eligibility of the local public administration bodies may be infringed

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2002 Local Elections
February 12, 2002

On February 5, 2002 the Parliament set the date for early general elections - April 7, 2002. During its first session held on February 7, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) adopted a resolution on establishing 37 electoral districts (in 32 rayons, in 3 municipalities - Chisinau, Balti, Bender; in Gagauz-Yeri Administrative Territorial Unit; and in Transdnistria)

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A new electoral system for Moldova!
Igor Botan, October 26, 2001

There are ten main variations of the electoral systems employed in elections all over the world. There is no good or bad electoral system, but rather system appropriate or inappropriate for the election of representative bodies in a certain country

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