The civil society organization “Civil Control – Elections 2014” is reporting violations of electoral legislation that began yet before the official start of an election campaign.

Political scientist Dr. Nicolae Tveatcov of the Moldovan Academy of Sciences, a Civil Control activist, stated at a news conference at Infotag today that the Democratic Party (DP) and Party of Socialists (PSRM) have already installed massive billboards featuring party leaders and quotations from their election platforms.

“This is an overt violation of Article 47 in the Election Code, which says the following: canvassing may be started only upon the registration of an election runner concerned with a corresponding election commission.

The Civil Control also says that the official website of the Democratic Party is publishing photographs featuring party celebrities distributing sacks with potatoes to needy villagers in the Ialoveni Raion. Nicolae Tveatcov says that such actions fall under Article 181 in the Republic of Moldova’s Criminal Code – “Bribing of Voters”.

The organization activists drew attention to the fact that the Soros Moldova Foundation, an organization with foreign capital, acting in concert with some local non-governmental organizations, has launched an information campaign “Moldova-Europe”.

“They don’t even conceal the campaign budget – 300 thousand euros. The campaign essence is in placing, on a number of private television channels, video clips advertising the advantages of Moldova’s European integration. The Soros Moldova Foundation is thus supporting the canvassing by the Democratic Party, Liberal Democratic Party and Liberal Party, in whose platforms the idea of Moldova’s integration into the European Union plays a key role. Meanwhile, according to Article 35 of the Election Code, financing and support of election campaigns by charitable organizations is forbidden. Also, Article 12 in the Law on Advertising says that advertising influencing the subconsciousness is prohibited”, said Nicolae Tveatcov.

He promised that all these and other documented facts will be brought to the knowledge of the Central Election Commission and to the Prosecutor General’s Office, which latter agency will be demanded to examine the violations and take law-stipulated measures against defaulter parties.

It was also said at the news conference that the Law on abolishing Soviet passports in Moldova as from September 1, 2014 has deprived more than 65 thousand citizens of Moldova of their electoral rights.

The Civil Control expressed its concern over this fact, and characterized it as a direct violation of Article 38 of the Constitution, guaranteeing citizens the right to express their will at elections.

Nicolae Tveatcov stated in this connection that a lion’s share of the people, who failed to obtain modern Moldovan passports for various reasons, are pensioners, many of whom reside in remote localities and find it very hard for them to undergo the passport exchange procedure. But the chief thing is that the old folks traditionally vote for Communists.

However, the state-run Registru center for informational resources maintains that only 30 thousand citizens have failed to avail themselves of the Government-provided opportunity to change old passports for new ones free of charge.

Infotag’s dossier: The Civil Control is a formation, which maintains it receives no grants or subsidies, and acts as a volunteer association of 15 profiled non-governmental organizations.