OSCE deplores blocking of Corjova polling station during Moldova parliamentary elections

CHISINAU, 6 April 2009 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office's Special Co-ordinator Petros Efthymiou and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Philip Remler, deplored today the closure of the voting station in Corjova during yesterday's parliamentary elections.

"This act restricted the democratic right of citizens of Moldova to participate in elections," they said in a joint statement. Efthymiou is the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office's Special Co-ordinator for the 5 April Parliamentary Elections in Moldova.

A large group of Transdniestrians, including uniformed police, entered the polling station in Corjova shortly before voting was to start at 07:00 AM on Sunday, seized the ballot box and blocked the entrance to the polling station. Jurisdiction over Corjova is disputed between the central authorities in Chisinau and regional authorities in Tiraspol.

Efthymiou and Remler, recalling their statement of 2 April, noted with regret that the parties to the conflict failed to enter into negotiations to resolve the issue.

"We have been urging the parties for months to discuss the issue as they did in 2005, when negotiations resulted in the successful holding of elections in Corjova. We believe that talks could have led to the same result this time," they said.

During the 2005 parliamentary elections, voting took place in Corjova, following an understanding between the central authorities in Chisinau and regional authorities. During the 2007 local elections in Corjova, Transdniestrian law enforcement bodies prevented voters from entering the polling station. When the central authorities attempted to organize repeat elections, the Transdniestrians closed down the polling station by force.