Our Home is Moldova (Red Bloc) calls on opposition to boycott parliamentary elections
Chisinau, Moldova: On Thursday, July 20, the party Our Home is Moldova (Red Bloc), led by former deputy Grigory Petrenko, circulated a statement “On the final adoption of the mixed electoral system of Plahotniuc-Dodon,” which acknowledges the existence of a “single decision-making center” of [oligarch and Democratic Party leader] Vlad Plahotniuc and [president and Party of Socialists leader Igor] Dodon and the fact that only “active resistance, civil disobedience and other democratic forms of protest will hasten the day of our country’s liberation from the dictatorship.”
The statement said that Our Home is Moldova “strongly condemns the adoption on the final reading of the law on changing the electoral system. Despite massive protests, the absence of a broad consensus in society, and recommendations of the international partners of the Republic of Moldova, including the expert opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the OSCE / ODIHR, the parliamentary majority headed by Plahotniuc and Dodon rolled the dice, throwing the country far behind in the development of democracy and the rule of law.
“We believe that ignoring the views of the opposition, civil society, and authoritative international organizations is a crime against its own people, against democracy, which immediately leads to serious consequences: dictatorship, collapse of civil rights and freedoms, isolation of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the degradation of relations with the country’s foreign partners,” the statement said.
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| Protest against adoption of mixed electoral system outside Parliament in Chisinau, Moldova, July 20. Photos: MoldNews.md |
“There is no doubt that Plahotniuc and Dodon have a single decision-making center. Only our active resistance, civil disobedience, and other forms of democratic protest will hasten the day of our country’s liberation from dictatorship, injustice, corruption and poverty.
“We call on all opposition political forces and representatives of civil society to immediately begin consultations on an effective boycott of the upcoming so-called parliamentary elections.
“In the present circumstances, there can be no question of honest, fair and democratic elections. And the real opposition should not legitimize them with their participation,” declares Our Home is Moldova.
The party led by Grigory Petrenko calls on the international community to “condemn the actions of the Moldovan authorities, in breach of their obligations as set forth in multilateral international agreements, including the commitment of the Republic of Moldova when joining the Council of Europe, in the liberalized visa regime with the EU, as well as in the Moldova-EU Association Agreement.
“We are convinced that Moldova will be a free, socially responsible, democratic state. Moldova has a future, but without the dictatorship of Plahotniuc-Dodon,” says the document.
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| Banner reading “No to mixed electoral system” was hung from inside the Parliament building. |
It was adopted with the support of 74 deputies of the Democratic Party and Party of Socialists, the Leanca group and other defectors. The factions of the Party of Communists, Liberal Democrats and Liberal Party left the parliamentary session in protest.
The vote took place amid mass protests by opposition parties and civil society, which demanded that the ruling regime desist from changing the electoral system.
Translated by Greg Butterfield
Red Star News + Translations 