La Moldavie appelle à l’aide après de violentes émeutes suivant les élections [en]
Hier (7 avril), le président Vladimir Voronin a appelé les pays de l’Ouest à l’aider à restaurer l’ordre, après que des manifestants se soient emparés de ses bureaux et aient mis à sac le Parlement. Les communistes au pouvoir en Moldavie ont remporté les élections de dimanche, même si l’opposition estime que le scrutin était truqué.
Background
Moldova is a former Soviet republic, and was part of Romania before being annexed by the Soviet Union in World War II. It is landlocked between Romania and Ukraine. Moldovans speak Romanian, although the country's constitution calls it the 'Moldovan language'. Russian is also widely spoken.
Transnistria, a Moldovan region east of the Dniester river, has been considered a "frozen conflict" area since the disintegration of the Soviet Union. It has a predominant ethnic Russian and Ukrainian population. Although internationally, Transnistria is part of Moldova, de facto its authorities do not exercise any power there.
The president of Moldova is elected by 3/5 of the votes in parliament. The Communist party elected their fellow member Vladimir Voronin in 2001, and he was re-elected in 2005. Having completed two terms, he now has to step down.
Moldova's Communist party was once staunchly pro-Russian, but changed course over the Transnistria stalemate. Now it is seeking closer ties with the European Union as well as good ties with Russia, on which it depends for gas and other supplies.
Moldovan media consider current Moldovan Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii, a close Voronin ally, to be the Communists' most likely candidate for president.
Moldova is covered by the EU's Neighbourhood Policy (see EurActiv LinksDossier). Its leader is expected to be present at the 7 May launch of the Eastern Partnership at an EU summit in Prague (EurActiv 08/12/08).
Sunday's parliamentary elections were observed by a joint mission of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
About 10,000 protesters denouncing a Communist election victory in Moldova seized the president's offices yesterday, hurling computers into the street while police took cover behind riot shields. They heaped tables and chairs onto a bonfire outside parliament. Fires were also lit inside.
Opposition leaders demanded a new election to resolve the confrontation with Voronin, who accused them of seeking destabilisation and demanded an end to the "bacchanalia".
Moldovan state television said one young woman had choked to death from carbon monoxide poisoning in the parliament building. It cited a senior doctor at Chisinau emergency hospital as saying 34 other protesters had been injured, including two in a serious condition in hospital. Some 80 police officers also received treatment for injuries, the television channel said.
Most protesters are students who see no future for themselves should the Communists keep their hold on the ex-Soviet state of four million people, which is wedged between Ukraine and Romania: on the EU's border, but within what Russia sees as its sphere of influence.
Vlad Filat of the Liberal Democrats said the opposition, which broadly stands for closer ties with neighbouring Romania, was demanding the right to check all electoral lists.
"As a result of this, I can assure you that the elections were rigged and we will organise a new election."
By the end of the day, Moldovan authorities and opposition leaders agreed to recount the votes cast in Sunday's parliamentary election.
Observers say elections fair
Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday that the elections, which were monitored by 3,000 observers, were democratic and fair. Voronin used this endorsement to argue that the riots were an attempted coup and a violation of democracy.
Preliminary election results showed the Communists would secure 60 of the 101 seats in the parliament. With 61 votes they could directly elect a president, as the country's president is elected by a 3/5 majority in parliament.
However the Communists would probably need a vote or two from the other parties which made it into parliament. The Liberal Party won almost 13% of the vote, the Liberal Democrats 12%, and the Our Moldova party 10%.
Moscow offers congratulations
Russia was the first - and is the only country so far - to offer its congratulations for the elections. A Kremlin press release said that on Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Voronin on the Moldovan Communist Party's victory, and said in a telephone call that "stability and continuity in Moldova's government would play an important part in ensuring continued all-round development of constructive and friendly cooperation between Russia and Moldova".
(EurActiv with Reuters.)
Positions
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern over violent protests that broke out in Moldova following the European nation's parliamentary polls on 5 April.
"The secretary-general strongly believes that any disagreements regarding election results should be resolved by peaceful means and calls on all parties to refrain from violence and maintain calm," according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.
Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), expressed his concern over the situation in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, and made the following statement :
"I am very concerned over the situation in Chisinau following the 5 April parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova."
"International election observers noted in their preliminary findings that the elections met many international standards and commitments, but that further improvements were required to ensure an electoral process free from undue administrative interference and to increase public confidence."
"I call on all sides to refrain from violence and provocation. Violence against government buildings is unacceptable. Equally important is the respect for the inalienable right of assembly of peaceful demonstrators," Solana said.
EU External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement: "I am deeply concerned by reports about clashes between demonstrators and police in Chisinau. I call upon all involved to immediately stop any acts of violence. I urge all concerned to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue. I strongly call for the leaders of all Moldovan parties to call for calm, pursue dialogue and avoid statements that could further inflame the situation. I remind all parties that any complaint in connection to last Sunday's election should be addressed through the existing channels."
The Romanian state did not and will not get involved in the domestic affairs of the Republic of Moldova, said chairman of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) Mircea Geoana on Tuesday. But he added:
"In the year when Romania and democratic Europe celebrate 20 years since the fall of communism, a new Iron Curtain risks falling over Moldova and Eastern Europe."
He said that Romania could not look indifferently at what has been going on in the Republic of Moldova "for too many years".
"What is most important and what worries us most," added Geoana, "is the fact that millions of people sharing Romania's language and values, who, roughly speaking, belong to what is called the Romanian nation, are deprived of the right and chance of going to Europe".
Geoana also said that the opinions and comments on the quality of the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova were diverging and that the European institutions said that, broadly speaking, the elections, leaving some small exceptions aside, were held in keeping with the European standards, the opposition alone being the one to mention non-democratic practices.
The head of the OSCE's Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Philip Remler, condemned the outbreak of violence in the Moldovan capital following Sunday's parliamentary elections and urged all political sides to do their utmost to de-escalate the situation.
"Violence is not compatible with democratic values. We strongly urge all to refrain from any violent actions, which we unreservedly condemn. We call on the authorities and all political forces to exercise restraint and to urge others to show restraint as well," he said.
Following the violent protests in Moldova, Eastern Europe experts at the European Council on Foreign Relations issued the following media statements:
Andrew Wilson, a senior policy fellow, said: "Moldova's violent 'Twitter revolution' is totally different from the peaceful protest of Ukraine's Orange Revolution. This time the crowd are not angry at a stolen election, but at the growing corruption of the ruling Communist Party, its recent turn towards Russia and an imminent economic crisis."
Nicu Popescu, a policy fellow, said: "Moldova may be small, but the survival of its democracy matters for the whole of Europe. Javier Solana must immediately travel to Chisinau to mediate between politicians and protestors before any further blood is shed." Wilson and Popescu are the authors of a forthcoming ECFR policy report comparing the European and Russian Neighbourhood Policies.
Launched in October 2007, the European Council on Foreign Relations is a pan-European think tank and advocacy group, co-chaired by Martti Ahtisaari, Joschka Fischer and Mabel van Oranje.
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