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At its meeting of May 3, the Government approved a draft law on amending the Criminal Code, which provides for sanctioning those actions that corrupt voters. According to the amendment text, proposed for examination to the Parliament, “offering or granting some goods, services or other assets to voter, aiming at making him exercise his electoral rights in a certain way within parliamentary, presidential elections, those for local public authorities or within referendum, shall be punished by community non-remunerated work during 100 to 200 hours or by imprisonment for up to 3 years”. The category of such assets does not include advertising electoral materials, but the text does not mention the maximum value of these materials.

Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections and European Exchange Association (Germany) launched the project “Monitoring elections and education of voters in the Republic of Moldova — capacity building and strengthening and development of international networks”. The project shall include civic awareness raising, capacity building of NGOs members, training of newly elected, monitoring the elections. By further developing the NGOs professional network, the project shall contribute to electoral educational and awareness raising campaigns for voters, monitoring elections and initiating post-electoral dialogues between authorities and NGOs.

The public initiative “MediaMonitoring-2011” presented a monitoring report “Mass media on the eve of general local elections of June 5, 2011”, declaring that practically all mass media and internet in Moldova makes electoral publicity without the proper note “Paid from Electoral Fund”. Members of public initiative mentioned the use of hidden publicity and obviously favourable coverage of the activity of PCRM and other extra-parliamentary parties on some internet resources (e.g., ava.md). An analogical part, but directed against PCRM, would use resources such as unimedia.md, jurnal.md, vesti.md, stireazilei.md and others. The public initiative “MediaMonitoring-2011” urges mass media to observe the legislation and to refraining from becoming promoters of extremist ideas, to base on fairness principles and mutual respect, to cover impartially and objectively the process of electoral campaign. The monitoring initiative includes 8 persons, who work on voluntary basis. (source: Novosti-Moldova)

Igor Dodon and PCRM candidates for municipal councillors office have organised an event in the yeard of Hospital no.4 of Chisinau. Candidates promised to “reinstitute the facilitation for travelling in public transportation for pensioners and invalids”, in order to increase the access to medical services and they will increase on yearly basis the allocations for education by 10%.

An advertising billboard of PCRM candidate to Chisinau mayor office, placed on Mateevici street, in front of the central block of Moldovan State University, was deteriorated. PCRM considers that “such dirty methods of conducting electoral campaign shows just a strong feeling of frustration and weakness of electoral competitors compared to PCRM candidate, it condemns such actions and calls on all electoral competitors to show culture, and their convincing skills should be proven not to advertising billboards but to voters”. (source: PCRM)

PCRM issued a press release stating that during electoral campaign in 2010, some mass media have published a number of materials against the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova and these brought severe accusations of illegal funding. Following these actions, the controlling bodies, including the prosecution service, launched ample verifications on this issue and, by the order of the Anticorruption Prosecution Office of March 15, 2011, it was order to cease criminal prosecution on this case, due to the lack of offence. PCRM considers that all accusations proved to be absolutely ungrounded and false; therefore, it requests all mass media that disseminated the information about party’s funding to publish a disclaimer and to inform the public about the answer provided by the Prosecution General Office on May 3, 2011 on this issue. (source: PCRM)

Several youth associations from higher education institutions declared, within a press conference, that they support the platform of the Electoral Bloc “Third Force”, headed by Valeriu Pleşca, candidate to the general mayor office of Chisinau municipality. Representatives of youth organisation declared that in conditions of a social-political and economic crisis in the country, the Bloc “Third Force” may become the party that will bring about stability in the Republic of Moldova and conciliation in the society. The support for the Bloc “Third Force” was declared by the Association “The Force of Youth in Moldova”, Council of Young Teachers from UNEFS, councils of young lawyers and managers from the line faculties of USM, doctors from Moldovan Medical and Pharmaceutical University.

The candidate of Democratic Party of Moldova to the office of general mayor of Chişinău municipality, Valentina Buliga, launched the PDM commitment to implement a programme designed to restore all the sports yards in the capital. Buliga declared that PDM team, which will accede to the Chişinău Municipal Council, will insist that annually, based on a special programme, to provide in the municipal budget for funds designed to restore the sports yards and will approve a timetable for reconstruction of sports yards. (source: PDM)

Sergiu Coropceanu, PSD candidate to Chisinau mayor office, called upon the city mayor, Dorin Chirtoacă, imputing that he encourages the split within the society by keeping unconstitutionally the commemorative stone in the Square of Great National Assembly. Chirtoacă is called to dismount the illegally kept stone, so that the holiday of Great Victory on fascism would be celebrated by all “without a square stone in the soul”. (source: PSD)

PL Chairman Mihai Ghimpu has met with representatives of the Liberal Youth from sectors and suburbs of Chişinău municipality (about 200 persons) and urged them to get be maximally involved and to joint the efforts with the senior liberals in order to finalize the beneficial reforms initiated back in 2007. According to Mihai Ghimpu, the prototype of completed change is the general Mayor of Chişinău municipality, Dorin Chirtoacă, who is repeatedly running for the City Hall. (source: PL)

PNL candidate to Chisinau mayor office, Vitalia Pavlicenco, has announced her electoral platform on transportation and roads of Chişinău. According to Vitalia Pavlicenco, if PNL accedes CMC, it will try to resolve a number of problems:

• Legalization of maxi-taxi schemes;
• Reorganization of public transportation timetable;
• Diversification on categories and enforcement of new regulation for separate routs in order to avoid traffic jams;
• Accomplishing a feasibility study regarding the public transportation;
• Adequate tariffs in public transportation;
• Resolution of the parking related problems.

The PNL candidate for municipal councillor office, Andrei Donică, declared that “it is an absolute chaos at the Ministry of Transportation”, and the Minister of Transportation, Anatol Şalaru, “works with the companies of communists (Moldasig Ltd.) and concludes contracts with them”, although he knows about many irregularities in there, “he doesn’t want to fight the tax evasion, which does exist in many state enterprises, including the Rail Way and Air Moldova”.

PLDM candidate to the office the office Chişinău General Mayor, Victor Bodiu, had met with students from the State Institute of International Relations, whom he presented his electoral commitment. The event was also attended by the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Education, ex-minister of education, Leonid Bujor.

Central Electoral Commission accepted the complaints filed by pretenders to the status of independent candidate to the office of Bălţi municipal councillor: Serghei Iordan, Alexandru Tureac and Nicolae Spînu. CEC cancelled the decision of the constituency electoral council and obliged the electoral authority to register these independent candidates till May 4, 2011 and to decide on their listing order in the ballot. Bălţi electoral authority is reminded about the obligation to observe completely the provisions of electoral legislation and Instruction regarding the way of compiling, authentication, filing and verification of subscription lists.

Once these CEC decisions were issued, the Chairman of Bălţi Constituency Electoral Council no.2, Stanislav Sorbalo (representing PLDM), has resigned, stating “he doesn’t understand how persons abroad could sign documents supporting a candidate, or how such documents could be signed by those who do not exist at all, and also how the list may indicate the IDs that were never ever issued”. (Source: hotnews.md)

Chişinău Municipal Council (CMC) was convened for its last session before the general local elections. The councillors have assessed and summarised the CMC activity during 2007–2011. According to the presented data, during this period:

• Municipal councillors have met in 68 sessions during 126 days;
• It tackled 1575 issues;
• 6093 decisions were adopted, of which 5977 decisions were enforced (98%).

(source: noi.md)