Moldova election: Candidates registered as geopolitical tensions dominate
Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has registered 12 electoral candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections on 28 September. It is also reviewing a further 18 applications from 13 political parties and five independent candidates.
The final list of candidates is expected to be published on 28 August, CEC Secretary Dana Munteanu announced on Wednesday on Radio Moldova.
"We initially received 50 registration requests, including from 18 applicants who had asked for subscription lists to collect signatures so they could register as independent candidates," the CEC secretary said.
So far, the CEC has rejected three applications - from one electoral bloc and two parties - for election registration. A further 14 independent candidates have withdrawn from the race.
Once the candidate registration process is complete, the election campaign will begin, allowing candidates to engage in electioneering.
The CEC has asked both candidates and the media to sign a Code of Conduct that outlines the main obligations candidates have during electioneering. "This refers primarily to fairness, equality, adherence to certain rules during debates, and the non-use of hate speech," the CEC representative pointed out.
Ms Munteanu also emphasized the importance of voter participation. "We urge voters to come to the polls, because the power of every citizen of the Republic of Moldova lies in that ballot. This is their right and their opportunity to delegate a political party or an independent candidate to parliament," she said. The legislative body is where the most important decisions are made in a parliamentary state, she concluded.
Political analyst Ilan Cașu warned on the same programme that the record number of applications for the parliamentary elections should not be interpreted as a sign of democratic maturation, but rather as evidence of the pronounced fragmentation of the country’s political scene.
"This number of hopefuls entering the race is not an indicator of democratic consolidation. Democracy in the Republic of Moldova, including electoral democracy, remains embryonic and fragile, but it's a clear sign of the fragmentation and dispersal of the vote," he explained.
He added that the campaign would unfortunately be based on geopolitics, which is a shame for the country’s fledgling democracy.
The last day for submitting registration applications was 19 August. In total, the CEC received 50 requests, a record number for parliamentary elections in Moldova. So far, 12 electoral candidates have been registered – seven political parties, three electoral blocs, and two independent candidates. The final list of candidates is to be officially published on 28 August.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
