Will Recount In Moldova Change Anything?

A recount of nearly 1.5 million ballots began today after President Vladimir Voronin called for another look into the election in the wake of last week's massive protests in the capital city of Chisnau that left one dead, another 90 injured, and saw 200 people arrested.

The recounts will take place at more than 2,000 polling places across the ex-Soviet state. Opposition parties are boycotting the recount, saying that if they were to participate, it would only legitimise the results when tallied up. Voronin's Communist party has been accused of adding up to 400,000 ballots, some accounting for people living abroad and some for people already dead, according to opposition leaders.

However, the recount begs the question: if the elections were rigged in the first place, how will a recount by the same party leaders come up with any differing results? While Voronin's party vehemently denies any such tampering, early exit polls in the election showed the party winning 38% of the votes, only to come out of the elections with 50%, a majority which would allow the party to amend the constitution and give Voronin a third term currently not allowed under Moldovan law.

It seems that when all is said and done Friday, there will be no change to the election results. After all, when was the last time any state leader who won election gave up his power and admitted tampering and that an opposition leader should instead be in power? It would be political suicide, and could lead to even worse things for Voronin.

Don't be surprised if the latest news out of Moldova Saturday is more protests, possibly turning violent. While it seems only a few of last week's protesters took part in the destruction of government offices and that most were peaceful, a rigged-election turned rigged-recount in the minds of the protesters won't bode well for the standing government - if it is standing much longer.

**UPDATE: If you would like to find out more about what is happening in Moldova in relation to protests, alleged brutality, and possible government fraud, Jamie Dodge has directed me to this blog from a source inside Moldova that has many posts relating to such things as well as reaction from European governments. Jamie's blog, which also has information, can be found here.

Moldovan Protester Beaten, Journalists Kidnapped

This is video of a 23-year-old student who came back to Moldova from studying in France to vote in last week's election. After the Communist Party claimed victory (amidst accusations that the elections were rigged), he, like many other students joined in protests against the government. He tells JurnalTV that the protests were peaceful, and that after being arrested by government police, he was beaten by them "continually from Tuesday to Thursday" for assisting a Swedish news crew in translating from Romanian. Apparently, when his mother inquired as to where she could find him, she was told to "go look in the morgue".

Sources from Moldova have been telling me that the government has blocked social media sites in the state in attempts to cut people off from releasing stories and images of what is happening there. They also tell me that up to 500 people have been beaten and arrested, and many fear that those arrested could be killed, and that some might already be dead.

I have also been told that several journalists have been kidnapped by people thought to be secret government agents. A Moldovan news agency said several journalists have been detained; one, a woman, by four men dressed in white civilian clothes. She and another were released after being questioned, and said they were told "not to spread lies" about the situation there. At least one remains unaccounted for.

It has also been reported that an airplane from Russia landed at Chisinau International Airport Wednesday night, and seen being carried off it were crates of grenades and tear gas canisters, all thought to be for the government's police in their attempts to subdue protesters who they say have turned violent.

Protesters, on the other hand, claim instigators were purposely placed in the crowds by government officials to induce violence and place blame for destruction and violence on the protesters themselves. The protesters say their motives are purely peaceful, and that police brutality has led to some of the violence by protesters.

International Organizations Amnesty International and Reporters sans frontières have pushed for fairness for protesters and journalists and protection from police brutality.

"[Amnesty International] urges the authorities to independently and thoroughly investigate reports of use of excessive force by police. Detainees should also be promptly charged with a recognizable criminal offence or released and granted access to lawyers, doctors, and to have their families informed about their detention," read a statement released by an Amnesty International spokesperson.

Clear lines have been drawn between the government and protesters, and with both sides often releasing conflicting information, it is sometimes difficult to sift through. It does seem that a repressive Communist government has overstepped its boundaries and infringed upon some civil liberties, however.

Photos From Moldova

A source in Moldova provided me with some photos of the protests there.
Photos by Nicolai Mihailiuc
Provided by Tirsina Rodion, whose blogs you can find here and here.

[Social Media] Revolution in Moldova

In Chisinau, the capital of ex-Soviet state Moldova, the social media revolution might have found its face - in a real-life revolution.

Tens of thousands of people, most of them students and other young adults, have gathered in the capital city to protest what they call a rigged election by the Communist Party, headed by president Vladimir Voronin. Protestors say the ruling party manipulated elections to show a 50% majority, which allows them to change the nation's constitution to hand Voronin a third term, currently not allowed under Moldovan law.

President Voronin claims neighboring Romania, whose relationship with the Moldovan premier has continually deteriorated since Voronin came into office as president in 2001, has played a major role in the opposition protests. Voronin does have a history of bad blood with Romania, stemming from his time as Moldova's Interior Minister from 1989-90 under Soviet rule. Pro-Romanian protesters set his headquarters on fire in 1989. He has claimed recently that Romania, a newly-inducted member of the European Union, was trying to "absorb" Moldova.

Wenesday, Voronin declared Romanian ambassador to Moldova Filip Teodorescu "personae non grata", and ordered him and his envoy expelled from the state within 24 hours. Later that day, Romania appointed a new envoy, headed by diplomat Mihnea Constantinescu, who served as chief of staff to the past two Romanian prime ministers, Adrian Nastase and Calin Popescu Tariceanu. Prior to that, he was the Romanian secretary of state.

The most interesting facet of this story, however, is the manner in which the protests, which have destroyed government buildings and led to over 200 arrests so far since they began Tuesday, were organized. Much of the organization came via online social media networks Twitter and Facebook, a hint that such sites might finally be recognized internationally as something more than mere places to chat and network.

On Twitter, which allows users 140 characters to post messages, which are consolidated in a search-engine type of forum, the hashtag #pman served as a place for protesters to organize themselves and communicate with thousands of other protesters in Chisinau.

Another website has mashed up a Twitter feed with pictures, video, blog posts, and articles relating to the protests.

Thursday afternoon, Twitter users involved in the protests were claiming that Russian instigators were inducing rioting within crowds to spurn more arrests, as well as Moldovan secret police using surveillance and undercover operations to quell protesters. Reports that Facebook was shut down by the Moldovan government were also coming out via Twitter. Still, Thursday, sentiments remained strong amongst the online community involved in the protests, who were "Tweeting" in several languages, including Romanian, Russian, and English.

"[Voronin] must understand, we no longer support communism," said one protester. Another message being "Tweeted" by protesters stated: "Friday, at 10 a.m., we will be there. With a flower in our hand, and without vandalism. We are not thugs!"

As technology has evolved so quickly over the past ten years, so has the generation that was brought up with that technology. As this generation, my generation, comes of age and realizes its potential, so it is realizing the tool belt around its waist is larger and contains more tools than any generation before it. And so it just might be this generation, the online generation, that could use that ever-expanding tool belt to rebuild and restructure the world we live in.