Moldovan elections
Posted on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 11:56am
6 responses
It appears from press reports that the Communists will be taking control of Moldova after winning 61 of the 101 seats in the Parliament. The final votes, however, are believed to be finalised on Wednesday. The Lib dem poster campaign ‘Stop Communism’ that we saw plastered on street walls in Chisinau recently seem a little ineffective in hindsight, but given that there are three liberal parties in Moldova, this may not come as a surprise to the people of Moldova. The website for Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty states that the Communists are ‘poised to set a record for Communist parties in the post Soviet era’- winning three consecutive elections.
Voronin, the former Prime Minister is expected to stand down after two terms in office, but its clear that he will still be very influential within the party. We talked to people in Moldova who are fearful that the drive towards European integration will be hindered for as long as Veronin is in such a position of power in Moldova, and who say that despite his pro European rhetoric on occasions, that he is still very much a close ally of Russia.
The article suggests that the Communists did not adhere to OSCE election rules, and it appears that the other parties are to lodge a complaint about the actions of the Communists during the elections. When we were in Moldova recently as part of an Assembly delegation, we were informed that many of those who oppose the Communists are young people who have left the country to find jobs, and are hard to track down to vote. That, coupled with the fact that they can only vote in Embassy buildings does not make the elections very accessible to those wanting to vote abroad.
There is more information on the election and the future of Moldova on the BBC news website here, which sets out some of the issues that we were informed of while in Moldova- the lack of a free press, corruption, the impact of the Russian relationship with Trans- Dniester, and the weak economy.
It is unclear what will happen next. Reports show that Veronin has no intention of forming coalitions with opposition parties, and given that there were protests yesterday in Chisinau (reportedly around 100, 000 attended) to voice their opposition to the Communist victory, and with the Liberal Democrats threatening to call for more public protests against the result there is a much more to unfold as part of this election yet… ..In the last hour alone, the Associated Press has reported that the Moldovan parliament and the presidential office have been occupied, and protestors have set fire to furniture. An Associated Press reporter saw the windows smashed on two floors of the presidential office, and more than 30 people have been injured according to the BBC. It reports that students initiated the protests, and they are demanding repeat elections. I met a few of the student groups of political parties while I was out there via the New Democratic Institute, and many were frustrated at the lack of transparency in the political process. I will keep an eye on how events progress….
This all sounds a lot like Chavez in Venezuala. Which, as an aside, Leanne Wood praised in an Assembly Statement of Opinion last week.
Whats the problem Bethan, whats good for Cuba or Venezuela not good for Moldova?
Flip flopping from Plaid, what a surprise!
Tessa- I am just outlining what is happening in Moldova.
“This all sounds a lot like Chavez in Venezuala” – what you mean a democratically elected party of the left committed to reducing the gap between the rich and poor wins free and fair elections and middle class right wingers who dont like the result attempt – backed and funded by the CIa – to overthrow the democratically elected government? Because thats whats happened in venezuala!!!!!
It never ceases to amaze me how the so called ‘free world’ ie western europe and the US claim to be staunch defenders of human rights and ‘democracy’ yet positively encourages the overthrow of democratically elected govts – sometimes violently – if they are of a left persuasion!
Thus chile’s Salvador allende was murdered and his socialist govt overthrown in a brutal cia organised coup!
While similar cia sponsored efforts have been made to overthrow chavez and his govt – yet the venezualan people keep electing him, much to the fury of the spooks in langley park virginia and the corporate controlled white house!!!
The PCRM in moldova has won 3 open and democratic elections in a row – so they must be doing something right so far as ordinary moldovans are concerned. Perhaps the electorate there has been impressed that as little as two years ago the moldovan economy was growing by nearly 7 percent!
Or perhaps they were put off voting for the so called ‘liberal’ parties because they planned to introduce right wing free market economic policies and wanted moldova to join NATO!
The PCRM is not anti Eu and is keen on forging closer ties with it – thus it has implimented the EUs own three-year action plan within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. But the PCRM does have justifiable reservations about certain aspects of EU policy – in particular its forced ‘privatisation’ rules.
It is these same rules that would prevent a salf governing wales from renationalising the railways or the water industry in wales for example.
Incidentally bethan the laughingly called ‘radio free europe’ was set up in the late 1940s by the CIA who funded the station for most of its existence.
And its a good job you are.. not like the mainstream media in the UK have really picked up on this yet.
sorry but our former presidents’ last name is Voronin
not Veronin.
his party – Communist Party is a lot different from the CP which dominated Soviet Union years ago. Mainly the name remained out of it all. We are a demorcatic country still – that says quite a lot.
the ecomomical raise is due not to the Party which is said to have worked a lot, but due to the coming money from abroad, from people who are working there and send money in Moldova to their relatives
old people are the ones who voted for CP. they still remember “those good times”