The EU Member States call upon the Moldovan authorities to further improve the legal framework governing elections. They urge them, as soon as possible, in view of the 2009 national elections, to submit the Electoral Code for expertise to the Council of Europe and the OSCE and to take full account of their recommendations in particular regarding the electoral threshold, the electoral blocs and the effective exercising of the right of being elected by all citizens.

The compliance of the Electoral Code with the international standards will only enhance the democratic stability of the Republic of Moldova, they say.

In a joint statement, representatives of the EU Member States and European institutions in Chisinau – the Delegation of the European Commission and the Special Representative of the European Union say that the 2009 elections are a good opportunity for the Republic of Moldova to achieve decisive, comprehensive and irreversible progress in view of implementing democratic electoral standards and practices.

The signatories underline that freedom of expression, a plural and independent media as well as free access to objective, diverse and balanced information are of crucial importance for voters to establish their electoral preferences on the basis of an informed choice.

“While the Republic of Moldova has made good progress in improving the legal framework on freedom of expression, we remain concerned with regard to actions taken by law enforcement bodies against the media, the editorial independence of Teleradio Moldova and the pluralism of the broadcasting sector throughout the country.

“We are witnessing an increase of actions of harassment of some state bodies against representatives of different political parties or people that adhere to their programs. Such situations could jeopardize the prospective of the pre-electoral environment for the holding of legislative elections in 2009.”

The signatories also say that visible progress in exercising freedom of expression and organizing the 2009 elections in full compliance with the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international commitments would be strong arguments for the Republic of Moldova to achieve enhanced EU-Moldova relations.

In conclusion, the representatives of the EU member states say they stand ready to work with the authorities in achieving these objectives.

The statement was signed by the Embassies of Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the UK; the Delegation of the European Commission to the Republic of Moldova and the Special Representative of the European Union to Moldova.//REPORTER.MD


Publication date: 17 July 2008   

Source:

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