Press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

VIENNA, 20 July 2009 - The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

OSCE PA's Petros Efthymiou concludes pre-election visit to Moldova

COPENHAGEN, 20 July 2009 - The OSCE Special-Co-ordinator for the 29 July parliamentary elections in Moldova, Petros Efthymiou (Greece), concluded a three-day pre-visit to Moldova last week, in preparation for the international observation mission for the elections.

"In all my meetings - with Acting President Voronin, with senior officials, and with political party leaders - I stressed the responsibility to ensure that Moldova live up to its international commitments to hold free and fair elections in which all contestants compete on a level playing field," Mr. Efthymiou says in a statement.

He noted changes to legislation and regulations that partly address OSCE recommendations regarding elections but added that "important challenges remain."

Referring to the joint statement of preliminary conclusions issued by the International Election Observation Mission to the parliamentary elections in Moldova on 5 April, Mr. Efthymiou, pointed out that the three areas highlighted in that statement are relevant to these elections as well.

"First, serious efforts are needed ensure the voter's lists are accurate and are displayed for public verification on time," he said. Second, he stressed to officials the need to ensure there is no abuse of administrative resources in the electoral process. He noted allegations of intimidation by police. Third, he remarked that despite some changes in the media coverage of the campaign, there is still space for the media environment to achieve greater pluralism and ensure equal access for all political forces in Moldova.

Petros Efthymiou, a Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, also served as the OSCE Special Co-ordinator for the 5 April elections. He delivered the international election observation mission's statement concluding that the elections met many international standards and commitments but that further improvements are required to ensure an electoral process free from undue administrative interference and to increase public confidence.

"If the lack of trust and confidence evident among the political forces and public in Moldova is to be overcome, continued improvements of the electoral process are absolutely vital," Mr. Efthymiou stated.

The International Election Observation Mission for the 29 July elections will consist of the long-term observers from OSCE ODIHR plus parliamentarians from the OSCE, Council of Europe and the European Parliament and several hundred short-term observers. The mission's post-election statement will be issued at a press conference in Chisinau on 30 July.