Moldova's Presidential Predicament, Serbia Inches Closer to EU

Plus, Prague backpedals on asylum of Tymoshenko husband, and Tallinn mulls “free rides.” 

by S. Adam Cardais and Joshua Boissevain 13 January 2012

1. Will Moldova ever elect a president?

 

The Constitutional Court of Moldova has thrown out the results of last month's presidential polls, ruling that the 16 December vote was invalid because some members of parliament, which elects the president, broke election rules, RIA Novosti reports.

 

According to the court, several deputies flashed their ballots on camera to show support for Marian Lupu, speaker of parliament and acting president since 2010. With Lupu falling just shy of the three-fifths majority needed to win the presidency, parliament scheduled a rerun for 15 January. But a new date will have to be set following the court's ruling, according to RIA Novosti.

 

Moldova's parliament hasn't been able to elect a new president since 2009, scheduling four new votes since then because no candidate has surpassed the three-fifths threshold. The political gridlock arguably hit rock bottom in November, when authorities had to cancel the presidential poll because no one had registered to run by the deadline.

 

2. Brussels committee recommends EU candidate status for Serbia

 

On 12 January the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament got behind a draft resolution for the Balkan country to be granted EU candidate status in March, Balkan Insight reports, which would allow it to begin accession negotiations with Brussels on issues like judicial reform and anti-corruption measures.

 

Supported by most members of the committee, the document also called for a resolution to "the Kosovo issue," as Balkan Insight put it. Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.

 

In his supporting report, EU Rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin noted progress on key reforms, while emphasizing that much work is left to be done on strengthening the judiciary and public administration, according to Balkan Insight. He added that the ongoing tensions with Kosovo are Serbia's biggest obstacle to EU membership. Kacin called the recent border blockades in northern Kosovo, a majority Serb-area, unacceptable because they prevented freedom of movement, a philosophical and practical pillar of the EU.

 

Brussels has said Belgrade must improve relations with Pristina to join the European club. What exactly this means is unclear, as Belgrade says it will never recognize Kosovo, and Pristina is unlikely to settle for anything less.

 

3. Czech Interior Ministry: Oleksandr Tymoshenko did not receive "political asylum"

 

Czech authorities are speaking up to correct what they say are inaccurate reports that the husband of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been granted political asylum in the Czech Republic. On 12 January the Czech Interior Ministry told Radio Free Europe that Oleksandr Tymoshenko had been welcomed into the country as a "form of international protection." Moreover, the Czech Embassy in Kyiv said in a statement that the Czech Republic does not grant political asylum.

 

 

The response follows a 6 January announcement by Czech Interior Minister Jan Kubice, who said Oleksandr Tymoshenko had "filed for political asylum," and that his application had been approved. Kyiv criticized the announcement, and the Interior Ministry now says Kubice misspoke, according to RFE.

 

Oleksandr Tymoshenko, a businessman, reportedly sought asylum to escape alleged harassment after prosecutors re-opened a criminal case against him “in connection with alleged financial crimes committed while [Yulia Tymoshenko] was head of Ukraine's state power company in the 1990s,” according to RFE.

 

Ukrainian authorities launched an investigation into the matter shortly after the former premier and Orange Revolution leader was sentenced 11 October to seven years in prison for abuse of power.

 

Yulia Tymoshenko, whose health has been failing recently, insists she's under political attack. Both the United States and EU have condemned the October conviction.

 

4. No such thing as a free ride? In Estonia, there might just be …

 

Residents of Tallinn, Estonia, may be able to rip up their metro cards next year. City authorities say they want to offer “Tallinners” free public transport from 2013, according to The Baltic Times.

 

This would leave an estimated 20 million euro hole in the municipal budget. The city says it will find the money from revenues from the planned merger of the city's main transport companies. The city also plans to cut expenditures in other areas, including development of its sewage and waterworks systems.

 

Mayor Edgar Savisaar said the change would reduce traffic jams and auto accidents while allowing more low-income residents to use public transport.

 

5. Azerbaijani caught digging tunnel under Belarus/Poland border

 

A 48-year-old citizen of Azerbaijan was arrested in western Belarus on 8 January while trying to dig a tunnel to Poland, according to the Belarusian state border committee. The man, whose name was not released, was trying to make his way into the EU near the city of Brest but triggered an alarm alerting guards. The guards arrested the man, who was carrying a suit, some toiletries, and a small amount of money. He is being held in Belarus.

 

This is not the first time authorities in Brest have caught someone trying to enter Poland underground. In August 2010, a 60-year-old Ukrainian man was arrested in the process of digging under the border, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Police discovered that the man had been working on the tunnel for four years.