THE MISSION
The mission of this project is strengthening the cooperation amongst Moldovan NGOs into educating and mobilizing Moldovan voters to participate in the parliamentary elections 2009.
THE MAIN OBJECTIVES
- To educate and raise awareness amongst Moldovan voters vis-à-vis the importance of active citizen
participation in community life and community development through participation in elections;
- To provide Moldovan voters with a Vote Mock Elections platform at the community level, in which they
have the opportunity to discuss their local community related challenges, to identify solutions, to come
with proposals and to participate in simulation election exercises;
- To build capacity at the local community level in order to assure the continuous facilitation and
organization of Vote Mock Elections in Moldova.
THE PROJECT PERFORMANCE
In every target community, local teenagers set up at least two initiative groups and an election commission. Each initiative group or election platform, which replace political parties in these exercises, selects a local problem, which, according to it, is very urgent to be solved. On the “election day”, that is, on the day of the election simulation exercise, the two groups present their chosen problems as well as their proposals for solving it in the form of an “election message”. The presentations are followed by a public debate, in which the village community is supposed to get involved as much as possible. After this, in a ballot all present persons decide on the priority problem.
TARGET DISTRICTS
Mock Elections will take place in 7 district Centers and 12 rural communities. Target districts/regions of the project: Cimislia, Cantemir, Rezina, Ungheni, Soroca, Edinet, Basarabeasca.
Map of target districts
RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT
Today, Moldova needs programmes that promote voter education amongst both adults and students/school pupils. Teachers are always trying to find connections between the “real world” and the skills taught in the classroom. In an election year, the inundation by the media of persuasive messages provides an ideal opportunity to make this connection. Additionally, the presence of voter education related programmes brings advantages towards students’ interest in the activities around elections and connects them to the elements of persuasion and the electoral process.
Statistics show today, as of April, 2008 that 14.8% of Moldovans would not go to voting, and 20% are not decided if they will participate in elections. Amongst the main reasons are – lack of knowledge and skills, mistrust in political parties, thus 46,9% of the population do not know whom to trust or doesn’t trust to any political party or politician. 58% of Moldovan voters know already whom they will vote for. Their decision is usually based on parties programmes (about 61%), but the rest are influenced in their decision by leader image, public opinion manipulation, nostalgia, tradition, etc.
We have an electorate that is not reacting to the political environment and that is because it doesn’t offer incentives/reasons and alternative models. The only thing that the electorate has to do is to “sanction” political elite by absenteeism, by non-involvement – ticks of a democracy in decline. For example, it was said that at the 2007 local election was only 52,3% of the population participated, comparatively to 58, 7% that participated in 2003.
Given today’s statistics regarding the readiness of Moldovan electorate to participate in parliamentary elections in 2009 and the awareness vis-à-vis this important event for the country, it is possible to affirm that Moldova needs voter education related initiatives more than ever. Voter education helps elections become the event real for thousands and millions of citizens, including students, adults and elders, and it serves as a catalyst for future generations to become enthusiastic participants in country’s democracy. After all, that’s what living in a democracy is all about.
Main challenges identified. Today, Moldova faces the following challenges associated with election processes:
- Lack of the Educational aspect of the Elections for the general population, especially from the rural areas;
- Lack of knowledge and experience about civic involvement, elections, the entitlements of the local authorities, the parliament and the president amongst population from rural areas;
- Lack of platforms that allows voters to understand and learn how elections work and how significant they are for the future developments of the country, by preparing and running/simulating elections themselves in their communities;
- Lack of events at the rural/local level that would allow people learn more about the Moldovan political system, about EU and the rights EU member countries have compared to non-EU members, additionally, there are no enough opportunities during which general population gets a chance to present their opinions on political matters important to our country during the pre-election debates.
PROJECT PARTNERS
Hilswerk Austria in Moldova in partnership with CMB Training Center are currently implementing an absolutely new initiative for Moldova called “Vote Mock Elections” – project supported by the European Commission and co-financed by Austrian Development Agency.
Information dissemination partner in the project is Alianta CCAII, Moldova.
