Electoral debates // Together electoral bloc, Action and Solidarity Party, National Alternative Movement Party speak out for Moldova's accession to European Union, combat fake stories about EU

Chisinau, 12 October /MOLDPRES/ - The third round of electoral debates took place at the Moldova 1 public TV station on 11 October. The first three participants registered for the constitutional referendum, due on 20 October, were invited to the discussions: Liviu Vovc on behalf of the Together electoral bloc, Adrian Balutel on behalf of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) and Olga Ursu on behalf of the National Alternative Movement Party (MAN Party).        

The participants were invited in the order of the registration at the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). They speak out for Moldova’s accession to the European Union and were asked to reason their YES option at the constitutional referendum.     

Liviu Vovc, Together electoral bloc: „Moldova is at a turning point. Unfortunately, Russia attacked our neighbour Ukraine, but this war, in our region, opened us a small gate – to speed up the European integration process. Namely for this reason, I urge you to go to vote on 20 October and vote ‘’for’’ at the referendum. Through this referendum, we want to convey a message to the European institutions that Moldova’s citizens want to be part of this family and our vote matters. We see what occurs on the left wing – the Kremlin’s forces, the crime ring try to distort the message, to rig these elections.  Therefore, I urge you to go to vote, as there are many of us and the rigging, the corruption will not manage to steal our future.’’      

Adrian Balutel, PAS: ‘’Dear citizens, on 20 October, we have two important choices to make – to elect the country’s president and to choose our way to the European Union. The referendum due on 20 October is a choice of development for Moldova. During 30 years, we have missed too many opportunities on behalf of the free and prosperous world, while now we have a real chance. For the first time, we have a real chance for the present generation and for the generation of our children to be part of the prosperous, civilized and developed world. All people must go to vote and make this choice – to strengthen the future of this country in the European Union as a free, prosperous, democratic country, a country which develops according to the European practices and standards.’’    

Olga Ursu, MAN Party: ‘’I am member of the MAN Party – National Alternative Movement, a team of professionals, who for years in the row have proved in Chisinau that the things can be done here, at home. Since the party’s foundation, we said that the European desideratum was the basic idea of the whole country and cannot be the idea of a single party, cannot be the idea of a single person; this is a desideratum of the entire republic. Therefore, we say YES at this referendum, to back the plebiscite; respectively, we are for Moldova’s development in continuation and the achievement of the European standards towards which we aspire. This opportunity must not be missed in any way.’’    

Lucia Vieru, moderator: There are more stories about EU; one of them regards the neutrality – if Moldova joins EU, the country automatically joins the NATO. How do you see this story and how can we combat it?    

Adrian Balutel, PAS: „Very easy. Moldova is a neutral state; this fact is laid down in the Constitution. The accession to the European Union does not represent also the accession to the NATO and we have many countries in EU which are also neutral. EU is an association of countries united on the purpose of making the citizens’ living better, of ensuring peace, observing the law. We and our children want to live in such a model of development.’’    

Olga Ursu, MAN Party: „In the geopolitical context we have at present, I think that the accession to EU will ensure us the geopolitical security needed. A state which is an EU member, as compared to a state which is not EU member, has more safety and security in this respect, and I talk about not only the situation we have now, but including about the energy, financial security and so forth. Respectively, we do not talk about the accession to EU in the context you have mentioned; this would provide advantages not only in the pre-accession process, but also in the accession itself.’’     

Liviu Vovc, Together electoral bloc: „The citizens must understand easily – there is the European Union and there is the NATO, which are two completely different institutions. EU is an association more in the economic and social sector. The NATO is an association in the military field, a military bloc which ensures the security of the countries which are its members. I can say you more: in the last spring, the Together bloc came up with an initiative to sign a pact for Europe – all parties which back the European integration should sign this pact. Certainly, people also came who proposed to include also the accession to the NATO and we said: let us do this gradually and be rational. Those who now say that we will also join the NATO represent manipulations of the pro-Russian forces. We must understand: the small gate to EU was opened now for us to integrate; yet, as for the NATO, we need strong institutions which we do not have now; no armed conflict, even a frozen one, should be on the country’s territory and not in the least, we have the stipulation in the Constitution which ensures our neutrality. The citizens must understand that this is a mere manipulation and go to the referendum and vote ‘’for’’.        

Lucia Vieru, moderator: A story is spread, alleging that, if Moldova becomes EU member state, it will be obliged to legalize the marriages between people of the same gender and thus, the Orthodoxy and the traditional family will be destroyed. How would you persuade the voters that this is fake news?

Liviu Vovc, Together electoral bloc: „On the contrary, EU supports the religious cults; we have the example of Romania, where there are many religious cults and all of them have right to exist. Secondly, we have also the example of Romania, where the ethnic minorities are backed and are supported more than in Moldova.’’    

Olga Ursu, MAN Party: „EU is about democracy, about the rule of law state, about the observance of the human rights, high living standards. There are no provisions which would directly impose these stipulations and the MAN Party is for supporting the traditional family, including in this respect.’’  

Adrian Balutel, PAS: „We do what we promise and we have always done this in the interest of Moldova – from the allocation of 2.8 billion lei for infrastructure, from investments of 3 billion lei in hospitals, the increase from 9,000 to 200,000 lei of the allocation for each newly born child and of the allocation of 1,000 lei for each children up to the age of two years, we have done all these things together, in the interest of Moldova, together and with the support of the European Union. In the negotiation process, we will negotiate each provision. The European Union observes the rights of everybody, but it turns to good account the traditional family, the Christian values and we can see this in Poland, Romania, deeply orthodox countries.   

Presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on the accession to the European Union will take place in Moldova on 20 October.  

Moldova’s citizens on 20 October will participate in a constitutional referendum, within which they will answer the question: ‘’Do you support the amendment of the Constitution for Moldova’s accession to the European Union?’’

The results of the plebiscite will represent ground, if most residents answer affirmatively to this question, for the amendment of Moldova’s Constitution, so that the European integration’s desideratum should be compulsory for all governances due to come.