NED, Eurasia Foundation and the Moldova Foundation
Are pleased to invite you to a discussion on:
Mourning or Morning in Moldova? The April Election and its Aftermath
Featuring:
Dorin Chirtoaca, Mayor of Chisinau, Vice President of the Liberal Party of Moldova
Andrei Brighidin, Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections – Coalition 2009, Program Manager, Eurasia Foundation
Mihaela Copoţ, Human Rights Activist, Executive Director, HomoDiversus Pro
Moderated by: Janusz Bugajski, Director of the New European Democracies, CSIS
Thursday, May 7, 2009, 12:00 – 2:30 p.m.
NED Main Conference Room, 1025 F St, NW, 8th Floor
On April 5th, Moldova held parliamentary elections. While the government claims that the ruling Communist Party won 49 percent of the vote and OSCE/ODIHR concluded that the voting process met “many international commitments,” the political opposition, civil society and international observers have noted credible cases of fraud and the misuse of administrative resources, biased news by state-run media, and problems with voter lists. In this polarizing situation, thousands of mostly young people took to the streets to protest the results. Following violence and vandalism of the parliament and presidential buildings, an ensuing crackdown led to hundreds of young people being arrested, scores beaten and some killed. At present, the political opposition is refusing to participate in electing a new president, scheduled for May 5th, thus forcing new elections.
Please join us for a discussion on the April election process, civil society’s efforts to foster free and fair elections, the current human rights situation, and on-going political deadlock in one of Europe’s most isolated countries.