Moldovan parliamentary election, 2009
Encyclopedia
A parliamentary election was held in Moldova
on 5 April 2009. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) won a majority of seats (60 out of 101) for the third consecutive occasion. Turnout was 59.49 percent, exceeding the 50% necessary for the election to be valid. The new parliament will elect a new President of Moldova
as the incumbent Vladimir Voronin
has to stand down after completing two terms.
(ODIHR), Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), and the European Parliament
evaluated the elections as positive on the whole, with some reservations not affecting the outcome or the overall initial assessment. The opinion polls before the elections had showed a comfortable win for the Communist Party, with the only uncertainty being the size of the winning margin.
The OSCE observer mission has issued a preliminary report declaring the elections generally free and fair and describing Moldova as an "overall pluralistic environment, offering voters a distinct political alternative and meeting many of the O.S.C.E. and Council of Europe commitments." Petros Efthymiou, head of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short-term observers, said that he was delighted at the progress of democracy in Moldova. "These elections were very good and they gave me great confidence in the future of this country," Efthyimou said.
However, one member of the 280-strong observation team, Emma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
, whose observation post was near the border of the separatist republic of Transnitria, voiced concern over this evaluation, claiming that she had a "very, very strong feeling" that there have been some manipulation, but she "couldn't find any proof" of it. She claimed that the Russians from the organization influenced this report. She also declared that at the counting of the votes that at 1:00 the PCRM had 35% of the votes and the 15–16 parties from the opposition 40–45% altogether while shortly later, at 8:00 the situation changed radically and the PCRM had 50%. There have also been claims of voter fraud, with deceased and nonattendant persons reportedly voting.
Following the recount, it was decided by the Constitutional Court
that the presidential election would have to take place by 7 July 2009. Otherwise parliament would be dissolved and early elections held. The opposition parties stated that they would boycott parliament, citing electoral fraud as the reason, and tried to force new elections. The presidential election
was later set for 20 May 2009.
on April 6th and 7th.
The demonstration spun out of control and escalated into a riot on April 7th, with protesters attacking the parliament building and the presidential palace, throwing stones at the buildings, with the riot police attempting to protect the buildings. In the afternoon of April 7th, the rioters broke into the parliament building, looted it and set it on fire. Police forces had regained control of the city center by April 8th, arresting several hundred protesters. Following the arrests, numerous cases of excessive force usage, including beatings and torture by the police, were reported by the detainees.
Peaceful demonstrations on the central square continued for the remainder of the week. The government and opposition parties have accused each other of sending provocateurs to incite the crowds.
announced that the three main opposition parties would boycott the recount, citing fears that the government would use it to increase its majority to the 61 seats required to elect the next president.
The results of the recount were published on April 21. No serious errors were determined and the original election result was confirmed.
The Communist Party had nominated former Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanîi
as their presidential candidate. The previous parliament failed to elect a new president
triggering early parliamentary elections
which were held on 29 July 2009.
The Parliament must elect, with a majority of three fifths the President of Moldova
. The ruling Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) nominated Zinaida Greceanîi
, and a puppet-candidate, a Doctor
from Chişinău
. As the PCRM holds only 60 of 101 seats in parliament, but 61 seats are required to elect the president, at least one dissenting vote from the opposition was required. The opposition (formed by the three liberal
-oriented parties the Liberal Party
, the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova
, and the Party Alliance Our Moldova
) boycotted the first round of the election held on 20 May 2009, thus forcing repeated parliamentary elections, . The second round was set for 28 May 2009, but it was postponed to 3 June 2009; the PCRM claimed that it was due to Ascension Thursday falling that day. On 3 June 2009, the second round (repeated election) was held, the results being the same: 60 votes for Zinaida Greceanîi
, forcing incumbent Vladimir Voronin
to dissolve the Parliament. Early elections
were set for 29 July 2009 after Vorinin dissolved parliament on 15 June 2009.
Liberal Party
Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova
Party Alliance Our Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
on 5 April 2009. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) won a majority of seats (60 out of 101) for the third consecutive occasion. Turnout was 59.49 percent, exceeding the 50% necessary for the election to be valid. The new parliament will elect a new President of Moldova
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
as the incumbent Vladimir Voronin
Vladimir Voronin
Vladimir Nicolaevici Voronin is a Moldovan politician. He was the third President of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the First Secretary of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova since 1994...
has to stand down after completing two terms.
Pre-election developments
The EU called on Moldova to reform its electoral law, which foresees an electoral threshold of 6% and makes little allowance for alliances of smaller parties, so that smaller parties might also enter parliament, but President Vladimir Voronin rejected these calls.Results
Final results were announced on 8 April 2009; the ruling PCRM failed to gain the 61 seats required to elect the president, leaving the opposition parties with the possibility of forcing a new election. The ballot recount performed on April 21 confirmed these results.Reactions
The International Election Observation Mission, represented by delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human RightsOffice for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is the principal institution of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe dealing with the "human dimension" of security. The office, originally named Office for Free Elections, was created in 1990 by the Charter of Paris and...
(ODIHR), Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
(PACE), and the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
evaluated the elections as positive on the whole, with some reservations not affecting the outcome or the overall initial assessment. The opinion polls before the elections had showed a comfortable win for the Communist Party, with the only uncertainty being the size of the winning margin.
The OSCE observer mission has issued a preliminary report declaring the elections generally free and fair and describing Moldova as an "overall pluralistic environment, offering voters a distinct political alternative and meeting many of the O.S.C.E. and Council of Europe commitments." Petros Efthymiou, head of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short-term observers, said that he was delighted at the progress of democracy in Moldova. "These elections were very good and they gave me great confidence in the future of this country," Efthyimou said.
However, one member of the 280-strong observation team, Emma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
Emma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
Emma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne is a British politician. Formerly the Conservative then Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Torridge and West Devon she is a now life peer, and a former Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for South East England.-Early...
, whose observation post was near the border of the separatist republic of Transnitria, voiced concern over this evaluation, claiming that she had a "very, very strong feeling" that there have been some manipulation, but she "couldn't find any proof" of it. She claimed that the Russians from the organization influenced this report. She also declared that at the counting of the votes that at 1:00 the PCRM had 35% of the votes and the 15–16 parties from the opposition 40–45% altogether while shortly later, at 8:00 the situation changed radically and the PCRM had 50%. There have also been claims of voter fraud, with deceased and nonattendant persons reportedly voting.
Following the recount, it was decided by the Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of Moldova
The Constitutional Court of Moldova represent the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in the Republic of Moldova, autonomous and independent from the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
that the presidential election would have to take place by 7 July 2009. Otherwise parliament would be dissolved and early elections held. The opposition parties stated that they would boycott parliament, citing electoral fraud as the reason, and tried to force new elections. The presidential election
Moldovan presidential election, 2009
Moldovan presidential election, 2009 can refer to two elections:* the Moldovan presidential election, May–June 2009 held after the Moldovan parliamentary election, April 2009;...
was later set for 20 May 2009.
Civil unrest
Following the announcement of preliminary election results on April 6, 2009, which showed the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova victorious, winning approximately 50% of the votes, the opposition rejected the results, accusing the authorities of falsification in the course of counting the votes and demanded new elections. Opposition and NGO activists have organized protest demonstrations in the center of ChişinăuChisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
on April 6th and 7th.
The demonstration spun out of control and escalated into a riot on April 7th, with protesters attacking the parliament building and the presidential palace, throwing stones at the buildings, with the riot police attempting to protect the buildings. In the afternoon of April 7th, the rioters broke into the parliament building, looted it and set it on fire. Police forces had regained control of the city center by April 8th, arresting several hundred protesters. Following the arrests, numerous cases of excessive force usage, including beatings and torture by the police, were reported by the detainees.
Peaceful demonstrations on the central square continued for the remainder of the week. The government and opposition parties have accused each other of sending provocateurs to incite the crowds.
Recount
On 10 April 2009, Voronin called on the Constitutional Court to authorise a recount of the votes, as demanded by the protesters. On 12 April the court ruled in favor of conducting a recount, which was scheduled to take place on 15 April. On 14 April, Serafim UrecheanSerafim Urechean
Serafim Urechean is a Moldovan politician.-Education and career:Urechean was born on February 2, 1950, in Larga, Briceni. In 1974, he graduated from the Polytechnic Institute in Chişinău. He carried out the compulsory military service in the Soviet army, at Tolyatti...
announced that the three main opposition parties would boycott the recount, citing fears that the government would use it to increase its majority to the 61 seats required to elect the next president.
The results of the recount were published on April 21. No serious errors were determined and the original election result was confirmed.
Election of a new president
One of the first tasks of the newly elected parliament is to elect a new president. Current President Vladimir Voronin is ineligible for another term, as he already served two terms, the maximum number allowed under the constitution. His successor needs to be elected before 8 June 2009 with a three-fifths majority (61 of 101 votes). If no candidate reaches a majority vote before that date, a new parliamentary election will be held. The three opposition parties announced that all of them would vote against the PCRM's nominee for president, for which 61 votes out of 101 are required; if Parliament fails three times to elect a candidate, this will result in a new election.The Communist Party had nominated former Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanîi
Zinaida Greceanîi
Zinaida Greceanîi is a Moldovan politician. She is a member of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova and was the Prime Minister of Moldova between 31 March 2008 and 14 September 2009...
as their presidential candidate. The previous parliament failed to elect a new president
Moldovan presidential election, 2009
Moldovan presidential election, 2009 can refer to two elections:* the Moldovan presidential election, May–June 2009 held after the Moldovan parliamentary election, April 2009;...
triggering early parliamentary elections
Moldovan parliamentary election, July 2009
- Pre-election developments :The country's parliament, elected months earlier, was dissolved by president Vladimir Voronin on 15 June 2009, after it had twice failed to elect a new president....
which were held on 29 July 2009.
The Parliament must elect, with a majority of three fifths the President of Moldova
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
. The ruling Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) nominated Zinaida Greceanîi
Zinaida Greceanîi
Zinaida Greceanîi is a Moldovan politician. She is a member of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova and was the Prime Minister of Moldova between 31 March 2008 and 14 September 2009...
, and a puppet-candidate, a Doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
from Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
. As the PCRM holds only 60 of 101 seats in parliament, but 61 seats are required to elect the president, at least one dissenting vote from the opposition was required. The opposition (formed by the three liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
-oriented parties the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Moldova)
The Liberal Party is a conservative-liberal political party in Moldova.The president of the party is Mihai Ghimpu. His nephew Dorin Chirtoacă is its vice-president.-History:...
, the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova
Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova
The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova is a political party in the Republic of Moldova. The Party's Founding Congress was held on December 8, 2007 and Vlad Filat was elected as president....
, and the Party Alliance Our Moldova
Party Alliance Our Moldova
The Party Alliance Our Moldova was a social liberal political party in Moldova led by Serafim Urechean, former mayor of Chişinău. It merged into the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova in 2011.-History:...
) boycotted the first round of the election held on 20 May 2009, thus forcing repeated parliamentary elections, . The second round was set for 28 May 2009, but it was postponed to 3 June 2009; the PCRM claimed that it was due to Ascension Thursday falling that day. On 3 June 2009, the second round (repeated election) was held, the results being the same: 60 votes for Zinaida Greceanîi
Zinaida Greceanîi
Zinaida Greceanîi is a Moldovan politician. She is a member of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova and was the Prime Minister of Moldova between 31 March 2008 and 14 September 2009...
, forcing incumbent Vladimir Voronin
Vladimir Voronin
Vladimir Nicolaevici Voronin is a Moldovan politician. He was the third President of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the First Secretary of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova since 1994...
to dissolve the Parliament. Early elections
Moldovan parliamentary election, July 2009
- Pre-election developments :The country's parliament, elected months earlier, was dissolved by president Vladimir Voronin on 15 June 2009, after it had twice failed to elect a new president....
were set for 29 July 2009 after Vorinin dissolved parliament on 15 June 2009.
Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova
|
Liberal PartyLiberal Party (Moldova)The Liberal Party is a conservative-liberal political party in Moldova.The president of the party is Mihai Ghimpu. His nephew Dorin Chirtoacă is its vice-president.-History:...
|
Liberal Democratic Party of MoldovaLiberal Democratic Party of MoldovaThe Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova is a political party in the Republic of Moldova. The Party's Founding Congress was held on December 8, 2007 and Vlad Filat was elected as president....
|
Party Alliance Our MoldovaParty Alliance Our MoldovaThe Party Alliance Our Moldova was a social liberal political party in Moldova led by Serafim Urechean, former mayor of Chişinău. It merged into the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova in 2011.-History:...
|