PRESIDENT DODON PROMULGATES ELECTION SILENCE LAW TO PROTECT CANDIDATES IN SINGLE-MEMBER CONSTITUENCIES

Moldova President Igor Dodon has promulgated the Law on introducing amendments to the Election Code that pertain to the so-called the so-called ‘Election Silence’ [on the Saturday preceding the polls and on the very Election Day] in order to protect DP-disliked candidates in single-member constituencies from possible provocations aimed at de-registering them and removing them from election campaign.

Speaking on the NTV-Moldova channel, Dodon explained that at any moment on the voting day an unknown person or persons may start calling citizens on the social networks to vote for this or that candidate, say, from the Party of Socialists [PSRM]. Judging by the previous experience, this will be quite sufficient a ground for removing a candidate from the elections.

“In the Briceni Raion, PSRM Chairperson Zinaida Greceanii will be standing in a single-member constituency, and she has all chances to convincingly defeat a Democratic candidate there. If only someone calls on the election day to vote for her, she would be easily deregistered and removed from the election race”, the explained, and reminded of the ‘crushing arguments’ used by the DP authorities to cancel the Chisinau mayoral election results last summer, when the campaign leader, DA Platform Chairman Andrei Nastase simply called citizens not to sit at homes on the election day and go to the polls.

Asked with what luggage Moldova is entering the year 2019, Igor Dodon replied: “With big risks”.

“I can’t see in the 2019 State Budget resources sufficient for financial coverage of all the social programs approved in 2018. But the greatest risks are related to elections. I guess the republic may have 4 elections next year: parliamentary on February 24, a gubernatorial election in the Gagauzia autonomy in May, an all-republican local election in June-July, and possibly a snap parliamentary election in the second half of the year”, said the President.

In his words, the Party of Socialists [which Igor Dodon had headed before his election president] is considering two most probable ‘working scenarios’ for itself: (1) its election victory, when the Socialists receive over 50% mandates in the new Parliament and form a new Government, and (2) a snap parliamentary election in the second half of 2019.