16/04/2009 Monitoring
Strasbourg, 16.04.2009 - Josette Durrieu (France, SOC) and Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs on Moldova for the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), have sent letters to the Presidents of the Republic and the Parliament of Moldova requesting full information about the sequence of events that followed the elections on Sunday 5 April 2009. The letters read as follows:
“As co-rapporteurs on for the PACE Monitoring Committee, we have been closely following, with sadness and respect, the events and violence that have disrupted your country over the last few days.
We take note of the announcement of the results of the parliamentary elections on 5 April 2008 by the Central Electoral Commission and its decision to recount, nevertheless, the ballots in all the country's polling stations. These parliamentary elections, which were observed by the Council of Europe Assembly, should have enabled the country to strengthen democratic institutions and make progress towards European integration. We hope that order will be permanently restored and that democracy will prevail.
We have taken note of many reports from international and non-governmental organisations and political sources concerning human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the police during the events from 6 to 8 April 2009.
In order to enable us to carry out an objective, impartial analysis of the situation, we should be grateful if you would provide us with full information about the sequence of events, the actions of the police and measures taken by the competent authorities in your country to investigate and punish proven human rights violations. We should also like to receive detailed information about the ballot recount and the final results of the elections.
So that we can take account of this when the recent events in are discussed at the Monitoring Committee meeting to be held in from 27 to 30 April 2009, we should appreciate it if you would send us this information as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, we should like, Mr President, to offer your country and yourself our wishes for stability and to reaffirm our deep-seated conviction that the democratic process alone can help to carry out the reforms needed to make progress towards European integration.
We are at the disposal of the Moldovan authorities for the purposes of discussing all means of overcoming the current political crisis and strengthening democratic institutions with due respect for pluralism, the rights of the opposition and citizens' rights.”