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The chairman of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD), Iurie Rosca, has stated to the Moscow-based newspaper Kommersant: “Three parties will represent the new parliament in all likelihood: the Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM), the Democratic Moldova Bloc (BMD), and the PPCD. None of them will hold majority. Of course, if Russia will not organise us any revolution.

Chisinau Mayor Serafim Urechean plays the role of Yanukovich in Moldova. Moscow has created an opposition here in order to overturn the regime of General Voronin. If Moscow dislikes the results of scrutiny, it will imitate protests of population with the help of gentlemen from Transnistria.

I am a veteran of all protest meetings and demonstrations in our country, I am always ready to protest against Communists, but I do not know now if I want to take part in the Moscow-held protests.

Our meetings had always been peaceful, but we hold information now that armed people are coming, the tension is on the rise, provocations could take place, and I do not want to be cannon fodder, to exhaust ourselves for fight against Voronin, and to let a third one win.”

PPCD deputy chairman Vlad Cubreacov has told a news conference that Traian Basescu and Mikhail Saakashvili acted correctly when they visited Moldova in full electoral campaign. He noted that developments in Moldova may encourage an orange change, rather than an orange revolution. Cubreacov fell short of commenting on possible post-electoral alliances, preferring “the cooperation with all the partners in parliament for fulfilment of the national interest.”

Representatives of the Institute of Public Policies (IPP), IMAS-INC, AXA held a news conference and announced that an exit-poll will be organised on election day. In line with a certain methodology, 750 trained operators will interview citizens who attended elections. Voters will have to answer the questions of a questionnaire which will be introduced in a special box, and the answers will remain unknown to operators. The television channels PRO TV Chisinau and NIT are set to broadcast the results of exit-polls immediately after closure of polling stations at 21:00.

The electoral bloc Patria-Rodina (BPR) held a news conference and its chairman Boris Muravschi declined the reports that crime leaders and the Tiraspol administration financially assist the bloc.

Muravschi described the statements of Premier Tarlev, who said that the Transnistrian authorities had allocated 40 million dollars for support of opposition, as well as the reports of mass media affiliated to the ruling party that crime leaders had assisted the “congress of Moldovans” in Moscow, as malevolent libels.

Tiraspol’s mouthpiece Olvia-Press reported that the Union of Moldovans in Transnistria (UMT) has established the place and hour for transportation by buses of holders of Moldovan passports who want to participate in the March 6 parliamentary elections. The UMT leader predicts overcrowds at polling stations for Transnistrians.

The press service of the Social Democratic Party of Moldova (PSDM) informs that “about 20,000 adepts and supporters of PSDM who carried white flags with the sign of party, banners with slogans “PSDM Brings Change!” “Spring Is Coming!” gathered in the central square in Balti.

Leaders of the Balti-based PSDM organisation, addressed the people who gathered in the central square. Also, they said that Balti, like the entire Moldova, needs a change and the PSDM brings it.

Eduard Musuc, leader of the electoral campaign of PSDM, addressed the Balti residents like fellow citizens, telling them that he began real life from a school bench in Balti and he cannot be careless over disaster faced by this city. Mr.Musuc invited the Balti residents to attend the March 6 elections and to make a good, wise choice of future.

The participants in action received all the speeches with enthusiasm and encouraged them by shouting the electoral messages of PSDM: “Change!”, “ Spring Is Coming!”

Pillars in the highways in Chisinau have become pillars of communism. Electoral adds of PCRM were posted on all the pillars early on March 3. There were no reports that anyone hanging out the electoral adds was obstructed by the police. The leaflets contain no information about sources used to pay for them.

The BMD chairman, Mr.Serafim Urechean, has delivered a speech titled Parliamentary Elections: Test of Democracy in Moldova. It says the following:

“The campaign for parliamentary elections is almost over. Citizens who will have the possibility to vote on March 6, 2005, as well as conclusions of observers will clarify its results and the entire situation.

The two-month campaign expressed the essence of the Communist government. The electoral campaign took place the way the country was ruled in all these four years.

• Imitation of democracy. Declarations on attachment for democratic values for abroad and dictatorship inside of the country. The power has harassed the electoral competitors, they faced unfair and anti-democratic conditions.
• Double standards. Commitments to respect the freedom of press for abroad. In reality, open control on public radio and television, on private channels and state press. The Communists benefited from about two more hours of presence in news of the television channel Moldova-1 than other electoral competitors.
• Modification of rules under local and foreign pressure. We have lots of examples in all these four years. The rules have changed several times in the electoral campaign. The conditions of debates changed a little bit at the insistence of civil society and European experts. The regulation almost allowed only monologues — debates without debates.
• Use of administrative sources and police involvement. We have hundreds of appeals, and all competitors and observers have gathered a huge number of such violations — a critical mass.
• Rights of citizens were flagrantly breached. Citizens were intimidated not to participate in meetings with opposition. The obstruction of their right to a fair and right information through hidden but evident methods was the worst one.

The campaign itself is a violation of fundamental human rights. The BMD deputy chairman, Mr. Dumitru Braghis, used the gathered evidence and appealed the Constitutional Court in his quality of lawmaker, seeking the examination of violations committed by acting government and appreciation of legality of elections. In spite of these conditions, the opposition has worked hard to meet with electors. BMD had the most active campaign, it was the strongest opposition of Communists.

I had invited more than once Voronin on different ways to participate in live debates. However, he fled from an open confrontation. He preferred irresponsible accusations, blackmail with use of police bodies. I sued him but he hid behind presidential immunity. Let the people judge him on March 6. I am sure that the moral sentence will fit his actions.

A free, massive and courageous vote will be the best punishment for the leaving anti-democratic governance. It is clear that the country will have a new government after campaign. The most important for us is that this change happen under democratic and peaceful conditions.

I am sure that the vote of electors and juridical appreciation of elections at national and international levels will award victory to democracy.”

The press service of the Centrist Union of Moldova (UCM) released the following statement: “We have learned from trustworthy sources in the presidential entourage that the acting president of Moldova, the chairman of the Communist Party of Moldova, Mr.Vladimir Voronin, had refused or is about to refuse the participation in parliamentary elections on behind of PCRM, as well as the PCRM membership and leadership.

Asked to comment on this report, Mr.Mihai Petrache, UCM chairman, said: «If this is not an electoral trick, I salute the strategic decision of president and I think that this is the only way for PCRM to step forward last pre-election hours under equal conditions with other electoral competitors. The electoral campaign of the ruling party was privileged, protected by state until now, and this fact discredits the message of the Chisinau political power to the international community regarding the correctness and transparency of the 2005 elections in Moldova. Both the promises of the Chisinau administration, and the pre-electoral call of President Voronin regarding the conduct of electoral competition on principles of transparency, fairness and political propriety became a fiction, an electoral lie.

Elsewhere, the imminent quit of the PCRM chairmanship by Vladimir Voronin updates the idea that the chief of state must be a parent of nation, a president of everybody, not of one political party, who can turn into a political dictator. UCM believes that this would become a proof of maturity of behaviour and decision of political elite in Moldova.»”

The consortium CHDOM-LADOM-ADEPT within Coalition-2005 unveiled on March 3 the fifth election monitoring report. The report covers the period February 16 — March 2, 2005.

The developers regard as positive evolutions of this period: the awarding of right to vote on basis of expired identity documents, completion of antenna time for electoral debates, insurance of minimum conditions for participation of Moldovan citizens from the left bank of the Dniester river in elections, reconsideration of the ballot counting procedure.

Also, the report indicates some shortcomings of the electoral process. In spite of previous recommendations, students, including those who did not obtain eligible certificates, and Moldovan nationals who are abroad were excluded from basic electoral lists in a number of settlements; these categories of voters were not informed enough over how they can participate in elections, while electoral lists were not posted in all the settlements with at least ten days before election day, and no actions were taken to open additional polling stations abroad, at least in states which host a high number of Moldovans. These shortcomings can cause a low participation of these categories of voters in the March 6 scrutiny, the report developers fear.

Even more, no electoral competitor has declared so far the financial means spent for electoral campaign, and no measures needed for publication of the Central Election Commission’s decisions in Monitorul Oficial [official gazette] were taken, reads the report.

Compared with the previous monitoring periods, this report highlights deeper tensions between electoral competitors and reflects the appearance of new shortcomings in electoral process, including: intimidation of voters, corruption of electors, and participation of clergy representatives in electoral campaign.

The report also indicated shortcomings similar to the former ones. They include among others the public stigmatizing of an electoral competitor, intimidation of voters, groundless participation of police in electoral campaign, use of public resources for electoral purpose, distribution of humanitarian assistance for electoral purpose, and lack of special places for electoral advertisement.