U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT FROWNS ON MOLDOVAN COURT’S NON-TRANSPARENT DECISION ON ELECTIONS

“The Moldovan Supreme Court’s non-transparent decision to uphold the invalidation of Chisinau’s June 3 mayoral elections represents a threat to Moldovan democracy”, the U.S. Department of State wrote in its press release.

According to the document, “The winning candidate in Chisinau’s mayoral race received a majority of the votes. International observers found relatively minor irregularities that would not justify invalidation of the election results, and there were no calls from election participants to invalidate the results”.

The U.S. Department of State believes that the Court’s “unusual and unwarranted decision thwarts the electoral will of the Moldovan people and damages respect for the rule of law and democratic principles in Moldova”.

“As Secretary Pompeo emphasized to Prime Minister Filip in their June 25 meeting, free and fair elections are the hallmark of a democratic government and must reflect the will of the country’s citizens without political interference”, said the State Department’s press release.

As was already reported by Infotag, last Monday night the Moldovan Supreme Court decided to uphold the invalidation of the election results. On that very day, Moldovan Parliament Chairman Andrian Candu flew to the USA for a working visit, and the day before – Prime Minister Pavel Filip. In the course of the meetings they held in Washington, all their interlocutors were invariably asking unpleasant questions about the Moldovan authorities’ interference into justice and about the political decision to invalidate the elections won by an opposition politician.

Last Wednesday, Federica Mogherini – High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, and Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn issued a joint statement expressing their strong concern over the situation in Moldova. They voiced hope that the Moldovan authorities would take measures to put into life the June 3 election results that were recognized by international observers as ones reflecting the voters’ will.