April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election

Last updated

April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election
Flag of Moldova.svg
←  2005 5 April 2009 July 2009  →
All 101 seats in Parliament
51 seats needed for a majority
Turnout57.55% (Decrease2.svg 11.29pp)
PartyLeader%Seats+/–
PCRM Vladimir Voronin 49.4860+4
PL Mihai Ghimpu 13.1315New
PLDM Vlad Filat 12.4315New
AMN Serafim Urechean 9.7711−11
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
MdAlegeri2009apr.png
Prime Minister beforePrime Minister after
Zinaida Greceanîi
PCRM 		Zinaida Greceanîi
PCRM

Parliamentary elections were held in Moldova on 5 April 2009. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) won a majority of seats (60 out of 101) for the third consecutive occasion. Turnout was 59%, exceeding the 50% necessary for the election to be valid.

Contents

Following the elections, Parliament was required to elect a new President of Moldova as the incumbent Vladimir Voronin had to stand down after completing two terms. [1] Presidential elections required the winning candidate to receive at least 61 votes, but the opposition parties refused to vote for the three PCRM-nominated candidates in three rounds of voting between May and June 2009, meaning no president was elected. As a result, early parliamentary elections were held in July.

Background

The European Union called on Moldova to reform its electoral law, which implemented an electoral threshold of 6%, giving smaller parties little chance of entering Parliament. However, President Voronin rejected these calls. [2]

Results

Final results were announced on 8 April 2009; the ruling PCRM failed to gain the 61 seats required to elect the president, leaving the opposition parties with the possibility of forcing a new election. A ballot recount performed on 21 April confirmed the results.

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Party of Communists 760,55149.4860+4
Liberal Party 201,87913.1315New
Liberal Democratic Party 191,11312.4315New
Our Moldova Alliance 150,1559.7711−11
Social Democratic Party 56,8663.7000
Christian-Democratic People's Party 46,6543.040−11
Democratic Party 45,6982.970–
Centrist Union 42,2112.7500
European Action Movement 15,4811.010New
Conservative Party4,3990.290New
United Moldova Party 3,3570.220New
Republican Party 1,4360.0900
Independents17,2871.1200
Total1,537,087100.001010
Valid votes1,537,08798.78
Invalid/blank votes18,9961.22
Total votes1,556,083100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,704,10357.55
Source: eDemocracy

Reactions

The International Election Observation Mission, represented by delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and the European Parliament evaluated the elections as positive on the whole, with some reservations not affecting the outcome or the overall initial assessment. The opinion polls before the elections had showed a comfortable win for the Communist Party, with the only uncertainty being the size of the winning margin. [3]

The OSCE observer mission has issued a preliminary report declaring the elections generally free and fair and describing Moldova as an "overall pluralistic environment, offering voters a distinct political alternative and meeting many of the O.S.C.E. and Council of Europe commitments." [4] Petros Efthymiou, head of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short-term observers, said that he was delighted at the progress of democracy in Moldova. "These elections were very good and they gave me great confidence in the future of this country," Efthyimou said. [5]

However, one member of the 280-strong observation team, Emma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, whose observation post was near the border of the separatist republic of Transnistria, voiced concern over this evaluation, claiming that she had a "very, very strong feeling" that there have been some manipulation, but she "couldn't find any proof" of it. [4] She claimed that the Russians from the organization influenced this report. [6] She also declared that at the counting of the votes that at 1:00 the PCRM had 35% of the votes and the 15–16 parties from the opposition 40–45% altogether while shortly later, at 8:00 the situation changed radically and the PCRM had 50%. [7] There have also been claims of voter fraud, with deceased and nonattendant persons reportedly voting. [8] [9] [10]

Following the recount, it was decided by the Constitutional Court that the presidential election would have to take place by 7 July 2009. Otherwise parliament would be dissolved and early elections held. The opposition parties stated that they would boycott parliament, citing electoral fraud as the reason, and tried to force new elections. [11] The presidential election was later set for 20 May 2009.

Aftermath

Following the announcement of preliminary election results on 6 April 2009, which showed the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) victorious, winning approximately 50% of the votes, the opposition rejected the results, accusing the authorities of falsification in the course of counting the votes and demanded new elections. [12] Opposition and NGO activists organized protest demonstrations in the center of Chişinău on 6 and 7 April. [13]

Riot police in Chisinau Chisinau riot 2009-04-07 09.jpg
Riot police in Chişinău
Protest riot in Chisinau (7 April 2009) Chisinau riot 2009-04-07 01.jpg
Protest riot in Chişinău (7 April 2009)

The demonstration spun out of control and escalated into a riot on April 7, with protesters attacking the parliament building and the presidential palace, throwing stones at the buildings, with the riot police attempting to protect the buildings. [14] In the afternoon of 7 April the rioters broke into the parliament building, looted it and set it on fire. Police forces had regained control of the city center by 8 April, arresting several hundred protesters. Following the arrests, numerous cases of excessive force usage, including beatings and torture by the police, were reported by the detainees. [15]

Peaceful demonstrations on the central square continued for the remainder of the week. The government and opposition parties have accused each other of sending provocateurs to incite the crowds. [16]

Recount

On 10 April 2009, Voronin called on the Constitutional Court to authorise a recount of the votes, as demanded by the protesters. [17] [18] On 12 April the court ruled in favor of conducting a recount, which was scheduled to take place on 15 April. [19] [20] On 14 April, Serafim Urechean announced that the three main opposition parties would boycott the recount, citing fears that the government would use it to increase its majority to the 61 seats required to elect the next president. [21] [22]

The results of the recount were published on 21 April. No serious errors were determined and the original election result was confirmed. [23]

Election of a new president

One of the first tasks of the newly elected parliament is to elect a new president. Incumbent president Vladimir Voronin was ineligible for another term, as he had already served two terms, the maximum number allowed under the constitution. His successor needed to be elected before 8 June 2009 with a three-fifths majority (61 of 101 votes). If no candidate achieved a majority vote before that date, a new parliamentary election would be held. The three opposition parties announced that they would all vote against the PCRM's nominee for president, for which 61 votes out of 101 were required; if Parliament failed to elect a candidate three times, this would result in new parliamentary elections being required. [24] [25]

The Communist Party nominated former Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanîi as their presidential candidate. The previous parliament failed to elect a new president triggering early parliamentary elections which were held on 29 July 2009.

The Parliament had to elect, with a majority of three-fifths the President of Moldova. The ruling Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) nominated Zinaida Greceanîi, [26] and a puppet-candidate, a Doctor from Chişinău. As the PCRM held only 60 of 101 seats in parliament, but 61 votes were required to elect the president, at least one vote from the opposition was required. The opposition (formed by the three liberal-oriented parties the Liberal Party, the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, and the Our Moldova Alliance) boycotted the first round of the election held on 20 May 2009, thus forcing repeated parliamentary elections,. [11] [27] The second round was set for 28 May 2009, but it was postponed to 3 June 2009; [28] the PCRM claimed that it was due to Ascension Thursday falling that day. On 3 June 2009, the second round (repeated election) was held, the results being the same: 60 votes for Zinaida Greceanîi, forcing incumbent Vladimir Voronin to dissolve the Parliament. [29] Early elections were set for 29 July 2009 after Voronin dissolved parliament on 15 June 2009.

Elected deputies

The list of deputies elected in the 5 April 2009 parliamentary elections:

Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova

PCRM 2009.svg

Votes won by PCRM by raion and municipality

Liberal Party

  1. Dorin Chirtoacă
  2. Mihai Ghimpu
  3. Anatol Șalaru
  4. Corina Fusu
  5. Vadim Cojocaru
  6. Anatolie Arhire
  7. Gheorghe Brega
  8. Nistor Grozavu
  9. Vadim Vacarciuc
  10. Oleg Bodrug
  11. Ana Guțu
  12. Ion Hadârcă
  13. Valeriu Nemerenco
  14. Mihail Moldovanu
  15. Ion Lupu

Partidul Liberal 2009.svg

Votes won by PL by raion and municipality

Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova

  1. Vladimir Filat
  2. Alexandru Tănase
  3. Liliana Palihovici
  4. Mihai Godea
  5. Vitalie Nagacevschi
  6. Iurie Țap
  7. Călin Vieru
  8. Ion Balan
  9. Vladimir Hotineanu
  10. Iurie Leancă
  11. Alexandru Cimbriciuc
  12. Valeriu Ghilețchi
  13. Simion Furdui
  14. Mihail Șleahtițchi
  15. Angel Agache

Partidul Liberal Democrat 2009.svg

Votes won by PLDM by raion and municipality

Our Moldova Alliance

  1. Serafim Urechean
  2. Mihai Cimpoi
  3. Veaceslav Untilă
  4. Vasile Balan
  5. Iurie Colesnic
  6. Leonid Bujor
  7. Victor Osipov
  8. Alexandr Oleinic
  9. Valentin Chepteni
  10. Mihail Silistraru
  11. Veaceslav Platon
Alianta Moldova Noastra 2009.svg
Votes won by AMN by raion and municipality

Related Research Articles

The history of Moldova can be traced to the 1350s, when the Principality of Moldavia, the medieval precursor of modern Moldova and Romania, was founded. The principality was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1538 until the 19th century. In 1812, following one of several Russian–Turkish wars, the eastern half of the principality, Bessarabia, was annexed by the Russian Empire. In 1918, Bessarabia briefly became independent as the Moldavian Democratic Republic and, following the decision of the Parliament, united with Romania. During the Second World War it was occupied by the Soviet Union which reclaimed it from Romania. It joined the Union as the Moldavian ASSR, until the dissolution of the USSR. In 1991 the country declared independence as the Republic of Moldova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Voronin</span> Moldovan politician (born 1941)

Vladimir Voronin is a Moldovan politician. He was the third President of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the leader of the Party of Communists of Moldova (PCRM) since 1994. He was Europe's first democratically elected communist party head of state after the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova</span> Communist party in Moldova

The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova is a communist party in Moldova led by Vladimir Voronin. It is the only communist party to have held a majority government in the post-Soviet states. It has been variously described as communist, Moldovenist, populist, Russophile, and pro-Soviet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mihai Ghimpu</span> President of the Moldovan Parliament from 2009 to 2010

Mihai Ghimpu is a Moldovan politician who served as President of the Moldovan Parliament and Acting President of Moldova from 2009 to 2010. He was member of Parliament of Moldova from 1990 to 1998 and from 2009 to 2019. Ghimpu held the position of leader of Liberal Party (PL) from 1998 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zinaida Greceanîi</span> Prime Minister of Moldova from 2008 to 2009

Zinaida Greceanîi is a Moldovan politician. She was the President of the Moldovan Parliament between 8 June 2019 to 26 July 2021. Greceanîi was previously also the Prime Minister of Moldova from 31 March 2008 to 14 September 2009. She led the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) from 2016 to 2020 and was previously a member of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM). She was Moldova's first female Prime Minister and was the second female Communist head of government in Europe, preceded only by Premier Milka Planinc of former Yugoslavia. She has been referred to by her colleagues in PSRM as the "Moldovan Margaret Thatcher".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests</span> 2009 protests in Moldova

Protests against the April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election results began on 6 April 2009 in major cities of Moldova before the final official results were announced. The demonstrators claimed that the elections, which saw the governing Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) win a majority of seats, were fraudulent, and alternatively demanded a recount, a new election, or resignation of the government. Similar demonstrations took place in other major Moldovan cities, including the country's second largest, Bălți, where over 7,000 people protested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova</span> Political party in Moldova

The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova is a conservative political party in Moldova. The party is led by Tudor Deliu. Until 2016, PLDM was led by Vlad Filat, who was Prime Minister of Moldova from 2009 to 2013, in two cabinets. Immediately after the 2014 parliamentary elections, with 21 seats in the Moldovan Parliament, PLDM was the largest of the three democratic pro-European parliamentary parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Lupu</span> Moldovan politician

Marian Lupu is a Moldovan economist and politician who was the President of the Parliament of Moldova between 2010 and 2013. From this position he served as Acting President of Moldova from 2010 until 2012.

An indirect presidential election was held in Moldova following the April 2009 parliamentary election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election</span>

Early parliamentary elections were held in Moldova on 29 July 2009. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) won 48 of the 101 seats, but lost the majority they had won in the April elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova</span> Centre-left Moldovan political party

The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova is a democratic socialist political party in Moldova. A populist party, it holds Eurosceptic and Russophilic views, both of which are reflected by its long-time former leader Igor Dodon. It is contrasted to like-minded centre-left European parties for its conservative views on social issues, reflecting the country's strong social conservatism and the influence of the Moldovan Orthodox Church.

An indirect presidential election was held in Moldova on 10 November 2009 and 7 December 2009, following the parliamentary election held in July 2009.

The Alliance for European Integration was a centre-right anti-communist ruling coalition in Moldova from the July 2009 election until it lost to a no confidence vote in the Parliament on February 13, 2013. It was succeeded by the anti-communist Pro-European Coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of independent Moldova</span>

The following is timeline of the History of independent Moldova which started after the independence of Moldova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Moldovan parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Moldova on 28 November 2010 after parliamentary vote failed to elect a President for the second time in late 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Moldovan constitutional referendum</span>

A nationwide referendum was held in Moldova on 5 September 2010 on whether or not the country should amend the Constitution of Moldova to return to direct popular election of the president. Since 2001, the president had been indirectly elected by Parliament, with a supermajority of 61 seats required for election. The voters are asked to answer the following question: "Would you agree with the Constitutional amendment, which would allow the election of the President of the Republic of Moldova by the entire population?" Voters chose one of the proposed options: "Yes (for)" or "No (against)". Of those who had cast their vote, 87.83% chose "Yes". However, the referendum did not pass because only 30.29% of voters turned out, short of the necessary 33% for the referendum to be considered valid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Moldovan presidential election</span>

An indirect presidential election was held in Moldova on 4 April 2001. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) won 50.07% of the vote and 71 of the 101 seats in the February 2001 parliamentary election; by this time the constitution had been changed to provide for election of the President through the Parliament rather than popular vote. In March, the PCRM's Central Committee nominated Vladimir Voronin as its presidential candidate at a plenum, and on April 4, 2001 Voronin was elected as President by the Parliament. Of the 89 deputies participating in the vote, 71 voted for Voronin, 15 voted for Dumitru Braghiş, and three voted for Valerian Cristea. He was sworn in at a ceremony in Chişinău on April 7, 2001. The Constitutional Court ruled that the President could also lead a political party, and Voronin was re-elected as the PCRM's leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Moldovan presidential election</span>

An indirect presidential election was held in Moldova on 4 April 2005. In the parliamentary elections in March 2005, the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) received 46.1% of the vote and won 56 seats in the 101-member Parliament — more than enough for the 51-vote minimum required to remain in government, but short of the 61 votes necessary to elect a president. However, President Voronin received the necessary support from the Christian Democratic People's Party, the Democratic and Social Liberal factions, after he promised to deliver on needed reforms and Euro-Atlantic integration for the country.. Voronin was re-elected with 75 votes; another candidate, Gheorghe Duca, received one vote, and two votes were invalid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–2012 Moldovan presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Moldova on 16 December 2011. The president was elected by the parliament in an indirect election. After the election on 16 December failed, a second attempt was made on 15 January 2012. However, that vote was annulled as being unconstitutional since it had not been held in a secret vote. On 16 March, parliament elected Nicolae Timofti as president by 62 votes out of 101, with the PCRM boycotting the election, putting an end to a political crisis that had lasted since April 2009.

The Yushchenko Plan, also referred to as the Ukrainian Plan, was a unsuccessful 2005 plan developed by then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Petro Poroshenko in an effort to bring an end to the Transnistria conflict by peaceful means with the support of Moldova and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

References

  1. ↑ "Communists win Moldovan election" BBC News, 6 April 2009
  2. ↑ Moldova Rejects EU Proposal To Change Election Law Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 3 December 2008
  3. ↑ "Ten Reasons Why the Communist Party Won Moldova's Elections Again". Jamestown.
  4. 1 2 The New York Times: "After Protests, Moldovan Opposition Claims Election Fraud", April 9, 2009
  5. ↑ "Page not found – OSCE". www.osce.org.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  6. ↑ "Romania blamed over Moldova riots", BBC, April 8, 2009
  7. ↑ (in Romanian) "Emma Nicholson critică raportul OSCE referitor la alegerile din Republica Moldova" Archived 2009-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Cum votează morţii în Republica Moldova - Cotidianul" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  9. ↑ "Ziarul de Gardă » FRAUDE NON-STOP: Semnături false în liste" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  10. ↑ (in Romanian) http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-opinii-5560303-revolta-anticomunista-republica-moldova.htm
  11. 1 2 "Moldovan opposition to boycott country's next parliament – DW – 23.04.2009". DW.COM.
  12. ↑ (in Romanian) "Tinerii zgâlţâie comunismul la Chişinău" Archived 2009-04-08 at the Wayback Machine , Evenimentul Zilei, April 8, 2009
  13. ↑ "The protest initiative group: LDPM is the guilty one for the devastations in the Chişinău downtown" [ permanent dead link ], April 08, 2009.
  14. ↑ Amnesty International: "Organizers of peaceful demonstration blamed for violence in Moldova" Archived 2014-08-19 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ Amnesty International: "Protect peaceful Moldovan protesters from police ill-treatment" Archived 2014-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ "Political Violence in Moldova: Riot Police Crack Down on Anti-Communist Protests". Der Spiegel. 8 April 2009 – via Spiegel Online.
  17. ↑ "AFP: Moldova president orders vote recount". Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  18. ↑ "Moldova leader wants poll recount". 10 April 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  19. ↑ [ dead link ]
  20. ↑ "Moldovan poll recount to take place on Wednesday". 13 April 2009 – via uk.reuters.com.
  21. ↑ "Moldovan opposition to boycott poll recount". Reuters. 14 April 2009 – via www.reuters.com.
  22. ↑ Ustinova, Anastasia (2009-04-14). "Moldova Tension Rises as Recount Divides President, Opposition". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22.
  23. ↑ "Moldova recount 'confirms result'", BBC , April 17, 2009
  24. ↑ (in Romanian) "PL, PLDM şi AMN: Alegerile au fost trucate. Suntem gata pentru alegeri repetate!" (statements by opposition parties)
  25. ↑ Reuters: "Moldova Communists win parliamentary election", April 06, 2009
  26. ↑ "Moldova sets May 20 for presidential election – May. 13, 2009". KyivPost. 13 May 2009.
  27. ↑ "Moldova in presidential deadlock". 20 May 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  28. ↑ "Moldova presidential vote delayed". 28 May 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  29. ↑ "New poll in prospect for Moldova". 3 June 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.