Press Release

on preliminary results of monitoring the elections

of Bashkan of UTA „Gagauz Yeri” , which took place on December 4th, 2006

Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (MHC) had monitored the up-mentioned elections with 25 observers-volunteers (because of the lack of financial funds, MHC was not able to cover the expenditures on all its observers, people who were previously trained and in whom we invested a lot). Observers were divided in movable teams so that the made conclusions to reflect the general situation. 

CONCLUSIONS:

1. According to the affirmations of the electoral competitors, of their representatives and of independent observers, the campaign until the day of elections was a "dirty" one, by being massively used the administrative resources. MHC appreciates the effect of the campaign in a more positive way, than negative, because this had increased the interest of electors to participate at voting, which had ensured a high participation of electors.

2. Not all the voting sections were exteriorly prepared in a sufficient way, by being used the state and Gagauz Yeri.

3. According to the obtained results, the electoral lists were performed by "purifying" them, meaning by excluding of the persons of whom were known that they left the borders of the Republic of Moldova - a fact that many people were included in supplementary lists.

4. A big number of electors was deprived of the right to vote, by the fact that the movable box has not reached them or they gave up because they didn't find themselves in the basic electoral lists, in this way protesting. 

5. Many electors had voted with the Soviet passports, some people had two passports - of the Republic of Moldova and the Soviet one. To some electors was permitted to vote on supplementary lists, of their new domicile, without being verified if they had voted on the previous place.

6. At the voting section nr. 40 was inside and outside crowdie, in this way there were created favorite conditions to defalcate some voting papers and to throw them inside the voting boxes.

7. Next to the voting section nr. 40, there were 3 persons who were making electoral agitation in favor of the electoral candidate from Communist Party. The President of the voting Commission had asked them to leave but with no success.

8. At the voting section nr. 40, there were discovered voting papers without the stamp of CEC of UTA “Gagauz - Yeri”.

9. In many voting sections, the members of Commissions didn't have pass that would confirm their belonging to a certain voting Commission. These people said that the Central Electoral Commission didn't give its to them.

10. All the voting papers were edited only in Russian language, the ones in Romanian and Gagauz languages were absent. 

11. Some of the rooms dedicated for elections were very small, where as the flags of the Republic of Moldova and Gagauz Yeri were absent.

12. At the section nr. 24 the electoral agitation (pictures)  of Mihail Formuzal and Constantin Stoianoglo was located on the pylons next to the section.

13. Next to section nr. 24, in the coffee-bar there were selling alcohol, and around 14 persons were consuming it. 

14. At the section nr. 26 observers who were inside it declared that there were free organized by the candidate Dudoglo maxi-taxi routes in order to bring people to voting section. Such routes were organized and by the candidate Formuzal.

15. At the section nr. 26 there were received many “requests” from people who were asking for movable boxes at domicile. It was noticed that these requests were written by the same person, with the same pen, having the same content. These requests were brought to the section by the people of candidate Dudoglo.

16. In the supplementary list from the section nr. 26, there were 4 persons who voted without the identity card.

17. At the section nr. 26 it was permitted to vote without the annex to identity card, where should be put the stamp "voted".

18. The place of section nr. 53 was organized inside a shop-bar, where was commercialized alcohol.

19. The observers of other non-governmental organization were chosen from the regions of Gagauz-Yeri, therefore being asked what kind of violations had they discovered, one said that there are many, but he will never go against his village and the leadership of it. This is why these observers were impartial.

20. The stamp of section nr. 58 belonged to the section nr. 45. Therefore, it is presumed that there are two stamps of nr. 45.

21. At the section nr. 58 in the basic lists were already included not only the names of people, but also the number of their identity card, so that the person was putting her signature. The danger of it represents the fact that once closed the voting section, someone could sign for persons who didn't come and this way to falsify the elections. 

Teodor Carnat,

Executive Director of MHC